title: Maternal Steller sea lion diets elevate fetal mercury concentrations in an area of population decline.
abstract: Total mercury concentrations ([THg]) measured in western Aleutian Island Steller sea lion pup hair were the highest maximum [THg] documented in this endangered species to date. Some pups exceeded concentrations at which other fish-eating mammals can exhibit adverse neurological and reproductive effects (21% and 15% pups above 20 and 30 μg/g in hair, respectively). Of particular concern is fetal exposure to mercury during a particularly vulnerable stage of neurological development in late gestation. Hair and blood [THg] were highly correlated and 20% of pups sampled in the western Aleutian Islands of Alaska exceeded mammalian risk thresholds established for each of these tissues. Higher nitrogen isotope ratios suggested that pups accumulated the highest [THg] when their dams fed on higher trophic level prey during late gestation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Wildlife Conservation, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fairbanks, AK 99701, United States. lorrie.rea@alaska.gov
authors.forename: Lorrie D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Rea
authors.forename: J Margaret
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Castellini
authors.forename: Lucero
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: Brian S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Fadely
authors.forename: Todd M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: O'Hara
mesh_terms: D000413:Alaska; D000818:Animals; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D008628:Mercury / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D011157:Population Dynamics; D046070:Sea Lions / Q000378:metabolism*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury