Abstract
Owls are outstanding environmental quality bioindicators due to their position at the top of the food chain and susceptibility to pollutant accumulation. Exposure to chemical contaminants is often a risk for these animals. Moreover, studies addressing the bioaccumulation of trace elements and pesticide residues in tropical nocturnal raptor species are scarce. We analyzed the 26 organs (heart, liver, and kidney) of Tyto furcata (n=3), Megascops spp. (n=5), Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana (n=1), and Asio stygius (n=1) carcasses, collected from June 2018 to May 2019 in the Southern region of Brazil. The original vegetation consisted of areas of Araucaria forests and grassy-woody steppes with gallery forests, which were greatly modified by the introduction of agriculture. In four animals and eight organs, the pesticides abamectin, atrazine, chlorpyrifos-ethyl, and diurom were analyzed through high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a mass detector. In six animals and eighteen organs, the trace elements cadmium, lead, chromium, and nickel were identified via atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Chlorpyrifos-ethyl was detected in the livers of the genus Megascops. Chromium was found at high concentrations in all matrices analyzed for this trace element. Moreover, P. koeniswaldiana presented lead levels indicative of high exposure. The bioaccumulation of these toxics in owls described here can impact the population levels of these species, impact on its ecological function, and consequently unbalance the ecosystem. Moreover, owls are considered bioindicators; therefore, the occurrence of bioaccumulation indirectly gives us information about the quality of the environment.
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Data Availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
Thanks to FAPERGS (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do estado do Rio Grande do Sul), the Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioexperimentação (FAMV), and the Universidade de Passo Fundo for making this research feasible. To the employees of the Laboratório de Solos, Museu Zoobotânico Augusto Ruschi. Thanks to Laboratório de Análises Clínicas Escola (LABE-UPF). To reviewers for suggestions on the manuscript. Gabriela Elisa Dal Pizzol: Scholarship CAPES/BRASIL.
Funding
This study had the support of FAPERGS, by means of the edicts 05/2017 (Project n° 88887.161013/2017-00) and ARD/2017 (grant term number 17/2551-0000 804-9).
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GEP collected, analyzed, interpreted data about owl’s contamination, and wrote the manuscript. VAR extracted and analyzed pesticide residues in organs. ER and JCK collected owls. MMF analyzed trace elements in organs. EM, ANS, and LBR performed necropsies in owls. CDB and MTF performed LC/MS-MS analysis of pesticide residues. LGRG designed, analyzed, interpreted data, and corrected the manuscript.
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This study had ethical approval from SISBIO (Sistema de Autorização e Informação em Biodiversidade—n° 60.000) and CEUA-UPF (Comissão de Ética no Uso de Animais—n° 003/2018).
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Dal Pizzol, G.E., Rosano, V.A., Rezende, E. et al. Pesticide and trace element bioaccumulation in wild owls in Brazil. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 37843–37850 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13210-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13210-3