title: Ecological variables influencing trace element concentrations in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus, Montagu 1821) stranded in continental Portugal.
abstract: Both the conservation status of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) (Habitats Directive 92/43/CEE, Annex II) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive demand for data on their ecology and anthropogenic threats. To evaluate the bottlenose dolphin's toxicological status in continental Portugal, several trace elements (As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Zn) were determined in 25 stranded individuals. The potential effect of sex, body length and stranding location on trace element concentrations was analysed. In the present study, bottlenose dolphins presented high mercury levels, only exceeded by animals from the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. Only essential elements were influenced by dolphin sex, whereas Cd, Hg and Pb bioaccumulated in larger dolphins, and hepatic Hg and Cd concentrations were higher in the northwest coast of continental Portugal. The location effect may relate to variations in bottlenose diet and trace element availability, according to the proximity to anthropogenic sources in the Atlantic Iberian coast.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; Sociedade Portuguesa de Vida Selvagem, Universidade de Minho, Departamento de Biologia, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-047 Braga, Portugal. Electronic address: s.monteiro@ua.pt.
authors.forename: Sílvia S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.affiliation: Laboratori de Parasitologia, Departament de Microbiologia i Parasitologia Sanitàries, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII, s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia & CBMA, Universidade de Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-047 Braga, Portugal; Sociedade Portuguesa de Vida Selvagem, Universidade de Minho, Departamento de Biologia, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-047 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; Sociedade Portuguesa de Vida Selvagem, Universidade de Minho, Departamento de Biologia, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-047 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marçalo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; Sociedade Portuguesa de Vida Selvagem, Universidade de Minho, Departamento de Biologia, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-047 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Lídia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nicolau
authors.affiliation: Sociedade Portuguesa de Vida Selvagem, Universidade de Minho, Departamento de Biologia, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-047 Braga, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-047 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: José V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Vingada
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; Sociedade Portuguesa de Vida Selvagem, Universidade de Minho, Departamento de Biologia, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-047 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Catarina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050681:Bottle-Nosed Dolphin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D011174:Portugal; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000378:metabolism*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Heavy metals; Marine mammals; North Atlantic; Pollution