Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Sep;185(1):177-184.
doi: 10.1007/s12011-017-1237-2. Epub 2018 Jan 13.

Metal Concentrations in Tissues of Gadwall and Common Teal from Miankaleh and Gomishan International Wetlands, Iran

Mohammad-Hosein Sinkakarimi  1 , Lukasz J Binkowski  2 , Mehdi Hassanpour  3 , Ghasem Rajaei  4 , Mohsen Ahmadpour  5 , Jeffrey M Levengood  6
Affiliations

Metal Concentrations in Tissues of Gadwall and Common Teal from Miankaleh and Gomishan International Wetlands, Iran

Mohammad-Hosein Sinkakarimi et al. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

Miankaleh and Gomishan International Wetlands are important wintering areas for waterbirds in the Caspian Sea region. Previous studies revealed increased exposure to metals in some species of waterbirds using these wetlands. In this study, we examined concentrations of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in kidneys, liver, and pectoral muscle of wintering Gadwall (Anas strepera) and Common Teal (Anas crecca) collected in 2012. In addition, we measured concentrations of these elements in water and sediments from the collection sites. The genders differed in only one element/tissue combination, i.e., concentrations of Fe were greater in the livers of males. Concentrations of elements observed in Gadwall were generally higher than in Common Teal; only renal Cr and muscle Zn did not differ between species. Mean Cd concentrations in Gadwall exceeded background levels, reaching 1.94 μg/g ww in kidneys and 1.09 μg/g ww in liver. Similarly, Pb concentrations in Gadwall were also elevated (4.14 μg/g ww in kidneys, 3.22 μg/g ww in liver). Concentrations of other metals were within ranges commonly found in waterfowl. Concentrations of elements in the environment were elevated above background and comparable with the data obtained for this region by other scientists. However, these levels were deemed to not be great enough to pose an acute health risk to waterfowl. Given increased concentrations of some metals in duck tissues, further inquiry into the source of the exposure is needed for this area.

Keywords: Accumulation; Biomonitoring; Ducks; Environment; Exposure; Poisoning.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Sampling sites in Miankaleh and Gomishan International Wetlands
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Metal concentrations (medians, quartiles, and ranges) in water with statistical comparison between Miankaleh (M) and Gomishan (G) areas. The data marked with crosses was obtained for samples from S6 sampling point. Since the results marked deviated significantly from the medians, they were excluded from the statistical comparison
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Metal concentrations in sediments (medians, quartiles, and ranges) with statistical comparison between Miankaleh (M) and Gomishan (G) areas
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ahmadpour M, Lan-Hai L, Ahmadpour M, Hoseini SH, Mashrofeh A, Binkowski ŁJ. Mercury concentration in the feathers of birds from various trophic levels in Fereydunkenar International wetland (Iran) Environ Monit Assess. 2016;188(12):666. doi: 10.1007/s10661-016-5671-y. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Babińska I, Szarek J, Binkowski ŁJ, Skibniewska K, Wojtacka J, Markiewicz E, Felsmann MZ, Zakrzewska M, Gesek M, Dublan K. Grey herons (Ardea cinerae L.) as a tool for monitoring the environment for metal concentrations in the vicinity of a pesticide tomb in the Iławskie lake district. Fresenius Environ Bull. 2008;17:98–102.
    1. Barbosa A, Moreno E. Evolution of foraging strategies in shorebirds: an ecomorphological approach. Auk. 1999;116:712–725. doi: 10.2307/4089332. - DOI
    1. Bastami KD, Bagheri H, Haghparast S, Soltani F, Hamzehpoor A, Bastami MD. Geochemical and geo-statistical assessment of selected heavy metals in the surface sediments of the Gorgan Bay, Iran. Mar Pollut Bull. 2012;64(12):2877–2884. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.08.015. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bastami KD, Bagheri H, Kheirabadi V, Zaferani GG, Teymori MB, Hamzehpoor A, Soltani F, Haghparast S, Harami SRM, Ghorghani NF, Ganji S. Distribution and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments along southeast coast of the Caspian Sea. Mar Pollut Bull. 2014;81(1):262–267. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.01.029. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources