Measuring Persistent Organic Pollutants (PBDES) in River Otter Scat
Presentation Abstract
The Puget Sound has been inundated with toxic contaminants for decades. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are persistent organic pollutants known to cause adverse health effects including endocrine, immune, reproductive and development dysfunction in a variety of vertebrate species. These contaminants are lipid soluble and are known to biomagnify in the pelagic food web. The Seattle Aquarium houses three male river otters, semi-aquatic pisciverous mustelids that in the wild, inhabit the nearshore of Puget Sound. The river otter exhibit is a closed system, and the otters are fed a diet of restaurant quality fish and shellfish. A commercially available enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine PBDE levels from fecal samples collected from the group. Overall, fecal concentrations of PBDEs were generally low (with a highest average value of 65 pg/gr dry fecal weight). Fish from the river otter’s diet were also sampled and tested for PBDE exposure. A mixture of the fish liver and muscle tissue resulted in an average value of 135 pg/gr dry weight. This study further validates the use of ELISA kits for measuring PBDE exposure in non-invasively collected river otter feces, and describes potential links between food, environment, and contaminant exposure.
Session Title
General contaminant toxicology in aquatic and terrestrial species
Conference Track
Fate and Effects of Pollutants
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Otters--Effect of pollution on--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Puget Sound (Wash.); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Measuring Persistent Organic Pollutants (PBDES) in River Otter Scat
2016SSEC
The Puget Sound has been inundated with toxic contaminants for decades. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are persistent organic pollutants known to cause adverse health effects including endocrine, immune, reproductive and development dysfunction in a variety of vertebrate species. These contaminants are lipid soluble and are known to biomagnify in the pelagic food web. The Seattle Aquarium houses three male river otters, semi-aquatic pisciverous mustelids that in the wild, inhabit the nearshore of Puget Sound. The river otter exhibit is a closed system, and the otters are fed a diet of restaurant quality fish and shellfish. A commercially available enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine PBDE levels from fecal samples collected from the group. Overall, fecal concentrations of PBDEs were generally low (with a highest average value of 65 pg/gr dry fecal weight). Fish from the river otter’s diet were also sampled and tested for PBDE exposure. A mixture of the fish liver and muscle tissue resulted in an average value of 135 pg/gr dry weight. This study further validates the use of ELISA kits for measuring PBDE exposure in non-invasively collected river otter feces, and describes potential links between food, environment, and contaminant exposure.
