title: Metals in Bone Tissue of Antillean Manatees from the Gulf of Mexico and Chetumal Bay, Mexico.
abstract: Concentrations of seven metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn) were analyzed in 33 bone tissue samples of Antillean manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) found dead in lagoons and rivers of Tabasco and Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico and Chetumal Bay in the Caribbean region. The concentrations of Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn were significantly different between regions, with greater levels found in the Gulf of Mexico group than in the Mexican Caribbean group (p < 0.05). Pb concentrations differed significantly between adults and calves. No differences were observed between sexes. Metal concentrations detected in the manatee bones were higher than most of those reported for bones in other marine mammals around the world. Future studies are necessary to establish whether the metal concentrations represent a risk to the health of the species.
authors.affiliation: El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Av. Centenario Km 5.5, C. P. 77014, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
authors.forename: Ana G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Romero-Calderón
authors.affiliation: El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Av. Centenario Km 5.5, C. P. 77014, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico. bmorales@ecosur.mx.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Morales-Vela
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, C. P. 04510, Mexico, D.F., Mexico.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosíles-Martínez
authors.affiliation: División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Km. 0.5 carretera Villahermosa-Cárdenas, C. P. 86039, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico.
authors.forename: León D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Olivera-Gómez
authors.affiliation: Universidad Autónoma del Carmen, Calle 56 4, Benito Juárez, C. P. 24180, Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, Mexico.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delgado-Estrella
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis; D061006:Bays; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D060851:Gulf of America; D008297:Male; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D008800:Mexico; D012016:Reference Values; D045483:Rivers; D020455:Trichechus; D020457:Trichechus manatus
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: Antillean manatee; Aquatic pollution; Manatee metals; Wildlife pollution