title: Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of persistent organic pollutants in Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) from the Pearl River Estuary, China.
abstract: Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) are apex predators in the Pearl River Estuary waters (PRE) of China. PCBs, DDTs and other organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) (e.g., HCHs, HCB, mirex and dieldrin) were analysed in blubber samples of 45 dolphins and 10 prey fishes of S. chinensis collected from 2004 to 2013 in the PRE region to investigate the bioaccumulation and potential biomagnification of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). DDTs were the most abundant residue in the dolphins, with an average of 6,2700 ng g(-1) wet weight (ww), followed by PCBs (average: 1,790 ng g(-1) ww) and other OCPs including ∑HCHs, mirex, endrin, ∑chlordanes, HCB, dieldrin, aldrin, heptachlor, and pentachlorobenzene. The concentrations of PCBs and DDTs in male dolphins significantly increased with age and length. In contrast, female dolphins did not show obvious bioaccumulation trends with age and body length, possibly due to the lactational and parturitional transfer of these compounds. Compared with the POP residues in the prey fishes, the concentrations of PCBs, DDTs, and HCHs in the dolphin blubber increased by factors of 99, 212, and 5, respectively, whereas the residue levels of the other OCPs increased 2-185 times, indicating a potentially significant biomagnification in the top predators. The potential biomagnification factors calculated for most POPs were significantly higher than those in the cetacean species from other regions.
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
authors.forename: Duan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gui
authors.affiliation: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0512, USA.
authors.forename: Riqing
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Urban Environment and Ecology Research Center, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences (SCIES), Ministry of Environmental Protection, Guangzhou 510655, China. Electronic address: chenlaiguo@scies.org.
authors.forename: Laiguo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China. Electronic address: exwyp@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yuping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D003634:DDT / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D004289:Dolphins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D063366:Estuaries; D005260:Female; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010575:Pesticides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003634:DDT; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Bioaccumulation; Biomagnification; Effects by sex and age; OCPs; PCBs; Sousa chinensis