title: Profiling and Spatial Variation Analysis of Persistent Organic Pollutants in South African Delphinids.
abstract: The continuous disposal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in South Africa (SA) warrants concern about their detrimental effects on humans and wildlife. We surveyed six dolphin species (n = 90) incidentally captured in shark net installations or stranded off the SA east and south coast from 2005 to 2009 to study the POP exposure. Sousa plumbea, an inshore and estuarine species, was found to be the most contaminated by total POPs (21 100 ng g(-1) lw) of all the dolphins off SA, followed by Tursiops aduncus (19 800 ng g(-1) lw), Lagenodelphis hosei (13 600 ng g(-1) lw), and Delphinus capensis (5500 ng g(-1) lw), whereas POP levels in the offshore or pelagic delphinids were much lower. In all delphinids, dominant pollutants were dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), which represented more than 60% of the total concentration of total POPs, followed by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, 30%). Concentrations of DDTs in S. plumbea and T. aduncus off SA were among the highest levels reported in delphinids globally. Approximately half of the adult T. aduncus had PCB concentrations above the effect threshold for impairment of immune functions. The concentrations of Mirex and Dieldrin in SA delphinids were higher than those found in species from other regions of the Southern Hemisphere.
authors.affiliation: South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou, Guangdong 510275, China.
authors.forename: Duan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gui
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong , Cape d'Aguilar Road, Shek O, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Leszek
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Karczmarski
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Texas at Tyler , Tyler, Texas 75799, United States.
authors.forename: Ri-Qing
authors.initials: RQ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Coastal and Marine Research Institute, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University , PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape 6031, South Africa.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Plön
authors.affiliation: Urban Environment and Ecology Research Center, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences (SCIES), Ministry of Environmental Protection, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China.
authors.forename: Laiguo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou, Guangdong 510275, China.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, Private Bag 2, Umhlanga Rocks 4320, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Biomedical Resource Unit, University of KwaZulu-Natal , Durban, KwaZulu-Natal 4001, South Africa.
authors.forename: Geremy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cliff
authors.affiliation: South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou, Guangdong 510275, China.
authors.forename: Yuping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D004289:Dolphins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis*; D013019:South Africa; D062206:Spatial Analysis; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D009930:Organic Chemicals; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical