title: Mercury concentrations in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon, Florida: Patterns of spatial and temporal distribution.
abstract: Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon, FL (IRL) have tissue mercury concentrations among the highest reported worldwide. Analysis of total mercury (THg) concentrations in blood collected between 2003 and 2012 showed a significant linear decrease over time (p=0.04). Significant differences in the spatial distribution of THg in resident IRL dolphins were also observed with a general gradient in concentration from north to south. Evaluation of local biogeochemistry and accumulation of mercury in prey species is needed to better understand factors influencing the distribution of Hg in the apex predator. Analyses of temporal and spatial patterns of exposure to THg in this sentinel species may have implications for both ecosystem and public health in the region.
authors.affiliation: Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University, 5600 U.S. 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, United States. Electronic address: aschaef3@fau.edu.
authors.forename: Adam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Schaefer
authors.affiliation: Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University, 5600 U.S. 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, United States.
authors.forename: Elizabeth Murdoch
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Titcomb
authors.affiliation: Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, NOS, NOAA, 219 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29142, United States.
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Fair
authors.affiliation: Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, NOS, NOAA, 219 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29142, United States; O2Si Smart Solutions, 2030 Savage Road, Charleston, SC 29407, United States.
authors.forename: Hui-Chen W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Stavros
authors.affiliation: Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University, 5600 U.S. 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, United States.
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazzoil
authors.affiliation: Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street, Atlanta, GA 30313, United States; University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, 1600 10th Ave, Miami, FL 33136, United States.
authors.forename: Gregory D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Bossart
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, United States.
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Reif
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050681:Bottle-Nosed Dolphin / Q000097:blood*; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000097:blood*; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D062206:Spatial Analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Bottlenose dolphins; Florida; Indian River Lagoon; Mercury