title: Raccoons (Procyon lotor) as Sentinels of Trace Element Contamination and Physiological Effects of Exposure to Coal Fly Ash.
abstract: Anthropogenic pollutants disrupt global biodiversity, and terrestrial sentinels of pollution can provide a warning system for ecosystem-wide contamination. This study sought to assess whether raccoons (Procyon lotor) are sentinels of local exposure to trace element contaminants at a coal fly ash site and whether exposure resulted in health impairment or changes in the intestinal helminth communities. We compared trace element accumulation and the impact on health responses and intestinal helminth communities of raccoons inhabiting contaminated and reference sites of the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (South Carolina, USA). Data on morphometry, hematology, histopathology, helminth community and abundance, and liver trace element burdens were collected from 15 raccoons captured adjacent to a coal fly ash basin and 11 raccoons from a comparable uncontaminated site nearby. Of eight trace elements analyzed, Cu, As, Se, and Pb were elevated in raccoons from the contaminated site. Raccoons from the contaminated site harbored higher helminth abundance than animals from the reference site and that abundance was positively associated with increased Cu concentrations. While we found changes in hematology associated with increased Se exposure, we did not find physiological or histological changes associated with higher levels of contaminants. Our results suggest that raccoons and their intestinal helminths act as sentinels of trace elements in the environment associated with coal fly ash contamination.
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, 103 Black Hall, PO Box 116455, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.|Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, PO Box 110430, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.affiliation: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, PO Drawer E, Aiken, SC, 29802, USA.|Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, 180 E Green Street, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Ricki E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Oldenkamp
authors.affiliation: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, PO Drawer E, Aiken, SC, 29802, USA.|Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, 180 E Green Street, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Webster
authors.affiliation: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, PO Drawer E, Aiken, SC, 29802, USA.|Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, 180 E Green Street, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Beasley
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, 2015 SW 16th Avenue, Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Farina
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, 103 Black Hall, PO Box 116455, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA. wisely@ufl.edu.|Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, PO Box 110430, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA. wisely@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Samantha M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1748-4518
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Wisely
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060729:Coal Ash / Q000032:analysis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D011821:Raccoons / Q000378:metabolism*; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance / Q000662:veterinary*; D013022:South Carolina; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D060729:Coal Ash; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D014131:Trace Elements