title: Relationships between carapace sizes and plasma major and trace element status in captive hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata).
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between carapace parameters as indicators of age and plasma elements in 25 captive hawksbill sea turtles. Particle-induced X-ray emission allowed detection of 23 trace and major elements. There were significant but weak correlations between the virtual carapace surface area and plasma bromide (r = -0.552, P<0.01), phosphorus (r = 0.547, P<0.01), lead (r =-0.434, P<0.05) and strontium (r = 0.599, P<0.01), while there were no significant correlations with other elements. These results suggest that major and trace plasma elements in captive sea turtles show almost no variation with carapace parameters, suggesting that the increase in plasma elements seen in wild sea turtles might be the result of marine pollution.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, 582 Midorimati, Bunnkyoudai, Ebetsu, Hokkaido 069-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Noda
authors.forename: Makio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yanagisawa
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kawazu
authors.forename: Kouichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sera
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.forename: Mitsuhiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asakawa
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokota
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D060105:Animal Shells / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000818:Animals; D001965:Bromides / Q000097:blood; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000097:blood; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission; D013324:Strontium / Q000097:blood; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000097:blood*; D014426:Turtles / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000097:blood*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D001965:Bromides; D014131:Trace Elements; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D010758:Phosphorus; D007854:Lead; D013324:Strontium