Concentrations and patterns of organochlorine contaminants in marine turtles from Mediterranean and Atlantic waters

TY - JOUR

T1 - Concentrations and patterns of organochlorine contaminants in marine turtles from Mediterranean and Atlantic waters

AU - McKenzie, C.

AU - Godley, B. J.

AU - Furness, R. W.

AU - Wells, D. E.

N1 - B. G. acknowledges the support of a postgraduate scholarship from the University of Glasgow. All chemical analyses were carried out and funded by FRS.

PY - 1999/3

Y1 - 1999/3

N2 - Concentrations of individual chlorobiphenyls (CBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in marine turtle tissues collected from the Mediterranean (Cyprus, Greece) and European Atlantic waters (Scotland) between 1994 and 1996 are described. ΣCB concentrations were highest in adipose tissue and ranged from 775 to 893, 39 to 261 and 47 to 178 μg/kg wet wt in loggerhead (Caretta carretta), green (Chelonia mydas) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) turtles, respectively. Omnivorous loggerhead turtles had the highest organochlorine contaminant (OC) concentrations in all tissues sampled. It is thought that dietary preferences were likely to be the main differentiating factor among species. Decreasing lipid contaminant burdens with turtle size were observed in green turtles, most likely attributable to a change in diet with age. Principal component analysis of data from loggerhead and green turtles indicated that there were also pattern differences between species, confirming bioaccumulation differences.

AB - Concentrations of individual chlorobiphenyls (CBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in marine turtle tissues collected from the Mediterranean (Cyprus, Greece) and European Atlantic waters (Scotland) between 1994 and 1996 are described. ΣCB concentrations were highest in adipose tissue and ranged from 775 to 893, 39 to 261 and 47 to 178 μg/kg wet wt in loggerhead (Caretta carretta), green (Chelonia mydas) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) turtles, respectively. Omnivorous loggerhead turtles had the highest organochlorine contaminant (OC) concentrations in all tissues sampled. It is thought that dietary preferences were likely to be the main differentiating factor among species. Decreasing lipid contaminant burdens with turtle size were observed in green turtles, most likely attributable to a change in diet with age. Principal component analysis of data from loggerhead and green turtles indicated that there were also pattern differences between species, confirming bioaccumulation differences.

KW - Caretta carretta

KW - Chelonia mydas

KW - Dermochelys coriacea

KW - Marine turtles

KW - Organochlorine pesticides

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/0032927588

U2 - 10.1016/S0141-1136(98)00109-3

DO - 10.1016/S0141-1136(98)00109-3

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:0032927588

SN - 0141-1136

VL - 47

SP - 117

EP - 135

JO - Marine Environmental Research

JF - Marine Environmental Research

IS - 2

ER -