Brominated flame retardants and natural organobrominated compounds in a vulnerable delphinid species along the Brazilian coast

Guiana dolphins, Sotalia guianensis, are vulnerable to extinction along their distribution on the Brazilian coast and assessing chemical pollution is of utmost importance for their conservation. For this study, 51 carcasses of Guiana dolphins were sampled across the Brazilian coast to investigate legacy and emerging brominated flame retardants (BFRs) as well as the naturally-produced MeO-BDEs. PBDEs and MeO-BDEs were detected in all samples analyzed, whereas emerging BFRs were detected in 16 % of the samples, all in Rio de Janeiro state. PBDE concentrations varied between 2.24 and 799 ng.g-1 lipid weight (lw), emerging BFRs between 0.12 and 1.51 ng.g-1 lw and MeO-BDEs between 3.82 and 10,247 ng.g-1 lw. Concentrations of legacy and emerging BFRs and natural compounds varied considerably according to the sampling site and reflected both the local anthropogenic impact of the region and the diversity/mass of biosynthesizers. The PBDE concentrations are lower than what was found for delphinids in the Northern Hemisphere around the same sampling period and most sampling sites presented mean concentrations lower than the limits for endocrine disruption known to date for marine mammals of 460 ng.g-1 lw, except for sampled from Santa Catarina state, in Southern Brazil. Conversely, MeO-BDE concentrations are higher than those of the Northern Hemisphere, particularly close to the Abrolhos Bans and Royal Charlotte formation, that are hotspots for biodiversity. Despite the elevated concentrations reported for this group, there is not much information regarding the effects of such elevated concentrations for these marine mammals. The distinct patterns observed along the Brazilian coast show that organobrominated compounds can be used to identify the ecological segregation of delphinids and that conservation actions should be planned considering the local threats.A.F. Azevedo and J. Lailson-Brito thank the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for grants PQ-1B and 1D, respectively; and UERJ (Prociência). We thank the students from Aquatic Mammal and Bioindicator Lab (UERJ - Brazil), Environmental Chemistry Lab (CSIC - Spain) and Radioisotope Lab (UFRJ - Brazil). L.G. Vidal thanks the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES - Finance Code 001) for providing her PhD grant. The authors thank the ICMBio - Estação Ecológica de Tamoios (ESEC Tamoios) and APA de Guapi-Mirim/ESEC da Guanabara for supporting the collection of carcasses in Ilha Grande Bay.Peer reviewe

Population Structure of the Endangered Franciscana Dolphin (<i>Pontoporia blainvillei</i>): Reassessing Management Units

<div><p>Franciscanas are the most endangered dolphins in the Southwestern Atlantic. Due to their coastal and estuarine habits, franciscanas suffer from extensive fisheries bycatch, as well as from habitat loss and degradation. Four Franciscana Management Areas (FMA), proposed based on biology, demography, morphology and genetic data, were incorporated into management planning and in the delineation of research efforts. We re-evaluated that proposal through the analysis of control region sequences from franciscanas throughout their distribution range (N = 162), including novel sequences from the northern limit of the species and two other previously unsampled localities in Brazil. A deep evolutionary break was observed between franciscanas from the northern and southern portions of the species distribution, indicating that they must be managed as two Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESU). Furthermore, additional FMAs should be recognised to accommodate the genetic differentiation found in each ESU. These results have immediate consequences for the conservation and management of this endangered species.</p></div

Reassessment of the FMA proposal of Secchi et al. (2003) according to the present analyses.

<p>A deep evolutionary break separates franciscanas from North (ES, RJN) and South (RJS to ARG), justifying the recognition of two Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESU). Evidence of genetic differentiation further supports dividing the former FMAI and FMAII. The current proposal includes the subdivision of FMAIII and FMAIV, as suggested by Mendez et al. (2010) and Costa-Urrutia et al. (2012). See text for details.</p

Median-joining network of franciscana control region haplotypes.

<p>Relationship among 30 haplotypes determined by analysis of 455</p

Franciscana Management Areas (FMA) and sampling.

<p>Sample sizes and localities across the species' distribution (dark grey) and the four FMAs (I to IV) proposed by Secchi et al. (2003). Circles indicate new samples, squares indicate sequences from the literature (Secchi et al. 1998, Lázaro et al. 2004). ES: Espírito Santo; RJN: northern Rio de Janeiro; RJS: southern Rio de Janeiro; SPN: northern São Paulo; SPC: central São Paulo; SPS: southern São Paulo; PR: Paraná; SC: Santa Catarina; RS: Rio Grande do Sul; URU: Uruguay; ARG: Argentina.</p

Ba/Ca ratios in teeth reveal habitat use patterns of dolphins

Teeth and otoliths are metabolically inert structures that preserve a chronology of chemical variations that may be related to the environmental histories experienced by each organism. Because of the natural decrease of barium (Ba) and increase of strontium (Sr) bioavailability in water with increasing salinity, these elements may be especially useful to track habitat use in aquatic organisms. Therefore, we tested whether the Ba/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios in the teeth of dolphins represent a salinity gradient. The main aim was to determine whether these elements can be used as a natural tag for different aquatic environments. Teeth from 2 freshwater dolphins (Inia geoffrensis and Sotalia fluviatilis) and 2 marine species (S. guianensis and Pontoporia blainvillei) from Brazil and Uruguay were analyzed using a Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer. Intensity ratios of 138Ba/43Ca and 86Sr/43Ca were measured along a line that covered all growth increments in the dentin from the second year of life onwards. Teeth from the freshwater species had mean Ba/Ca values tenfold higher than marine dolphins, confirming the inverse relationship between salinity (and thus ambient Ba/Ca) and elemental ratios in teeth. Furthermore, Ba/Ca ratios could also differentiate dolphins from lower-salinity estuarine areas from those in areas with minimal freshwater discharge. No significant differences were found for Sr/Ca values. Results presented encouraging indications for the application of this technique as a potential new tool for studying habitat use in aquatic mammals

Mortalidade de adultos de 15 a 74 anos de idade em São Paulo, Botucatu e São Manuel (Brasil), 1974/1975

Submitted by Guilherme Lemeszenski ([email protected]) on 2013-08-22T19:01:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 S0034-89101979000600001.pdf: 4629798 bytes, checksum: 87616593c4c8d0d9533dfb4004b468c4 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2013-08-22T19:01:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 S0034-89101979000600001.pdf: 4629798 bytes, checksum: 87616593c4c8d0d9533dfb4004b468c4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 1979-12-01Made available in DSpace on 2013-09-30T20:00:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 S0034-89101979000600001.pdf: 4629798 bytes, checksum: 87616593c4c8d0d9533dfb4004b468c4 (MD5) S0034-89101979000600001.pdf.txt: 100375 bytes, checksum: fb22745427d122988ffc9bb1b13809eb (MD5) Previous issue date: 1979-12-01Submitted by Vitor Silverio Rodrigues ([email protected]) on 2014-05-20T15:15:31Z No. of bitstreams: 2 S0034-89101979000600001.pdf: 4629798 bytes, checksum: 87616593c4c8d0d9533dfb4004b468c4 (MD5) S0034-89101979000600001.pdf.txt: 100375 bytes, checksum: fb22745427d122988ffc9bb1b13809eb (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-20T15:15:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 S0034-89101979000600001.pdf: 4629798 bytes, checksum: 87616593c4c8d0d9533dfb4004b468c4 (MD5) S0034-89101979000600001.pdf.txt: 100375 bytes, checksum: fb22745427d122988ffc9bb1b13809eb (MD5) Previous issue date: 1979-12-01Universidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Saúde Pública Departamento de Prática de Saúde PúblicaUniversidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Saúde Pública Departamento de EpidemiologiaUniversidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Saúde Pública Centro Brasileiro de Classificação de DoençasUniversidade Estadual Paulista Faculdade de Medicina Departamento de Medicina Legal e Medicina em Saúde PúblicaUniversidade Estadual Paulista Faculdade de Medicina Departamento de Medicina Legal e Medicina em Saúde Públic

High accumulation of PCDD, PCDF, and PCB congeners in marine mammals from Brazil: a serious PCB problem

Blubber samples from three delphinid species (false killer whale, Guiana and rough-toothed dolphin), as well as liver samples from franciscana dolphins were analyzed for dioxins and related compounds (DRCs). Samples were collected from 35 cetaceans stranded or incidentally captured in a highly industrialized and urbanized area (Southeast and Southern Brazilian regions). Dioxin-like PCBs accounted for over 83% of the total TEQ for all cetaceans. Non-ortho coplanar PCBs, for franciscanas (82%), and mono-ortho PCBs (up to 80%), for delphinids, constituted the groups of highest contribution to total TEQ. Regarding franciscana dolphins, significant negative correlations were found between total length (TL) and three variables, ΣTEQ-DRCs, ΣTEQ-PCDF and ΣTEQ non-ortho PCB. An increasing efficiency of the detoxifying activity with the growth of the animal may be a plausible explanation for these findings. This hypothesis is reinforced by the significant negative correlation found between TL and PCB126/PCB169 concentration ratio. DRC concentrations (ng/g lipids) varied from 36 to 3006, for franciscana dolphins, as well as from 356 to 30776, for delphinids. The sum of dioxin-like and indicator PCBs varied from 34662 to 279407 ng/g lipids, for Guiana dolphins from Rio de Janeiro state, which are among the highest PCB concentrations ever reported for cetaceans. The high concentrations found in our study raise concern not only on the conservation of Brazilian coastal cetaceans, but also on the possibility of human health problem due to consumption of fish from Brazilian estuaries