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. 2015 Jun 15:518-519:526-33.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.03.013. Epub 2015 Mar 14.

Hair and bone as predictors of tissular mercury concentration in the western Alaska red fox, Vulpes vulpes

B H Dainowski  1 , L K Duffy  2 , J McIntyre  3 , P Jones  4
Affiliations

Hair and bone as predictors of tissular mercury concentration in the western Alaska red fox, Vulpes vulpes

B H Dainowski et al. Sci Total Environ. .

Abstract

We evaluated if total mercury (THg) concentrations of keratin-based and bone-based tissues can predict THg concentrations in skeletal muscle, renal medulla, renal cortex, and liver. The THg concentration in matched tissues of 65 red foxes, Vulpes vulpes, from western Alaska was determined. Hair THg concentration had a significant positive correlation with liver, renal medulla, renal cortex, and muscle. The THg concentration for males and females is moderately predictive of THg concentration in the renal cortex and liver for these foxes based on R(2) values (R(2)=0.61 and 0.63, respectively). Bone is weakly predictive of THg concentration in muscle (R(2)=0.40), but not a reliable tissue to predict THg concentration in liver (R(2)=0.24), renal cortex (R(2)=0.35), or renal medulla (R(2)=0.25). These results confirm the potential use of trapped animals, specifically foxes, as useful Arctic sentinel species to inform researchers about patterns in THg levels over time as industrialization of the Arctic continues.

Keywords: Arctic; Bone; Hair; Kidney; Mercury; Sentinel species.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Bethel Alaska and The Kuskokwim River
Figure 2
Figure 2
Arrows showing where three cores were drilled through femur.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Fitted Regression Models for Hair THg mg/kg (x-axis) vs each soft tissue THg mg/kg (y-axis). Models fitted with 95% pointwise prediction intervals. Clockwise from top left: hair vs. liver, hair vs. muscle, hair vs. renal medulla, hair vs. renal cortex.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Regression Models with Bone THg mg/kg (x-axis) vs each soft tissue THg mg/kg (y-axis). Models fitted with 95% pointwise prediction intervals. Clockwise from top left: bone vs. liver, bone vs. muscle, bone vs. renal medulla, bone vs. renal cortex.
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