Summary
Fluoride concentrations found in soft tissues of free ranging birds are below 10 mg/kg d.w. In ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) 99.5% of all fluoride is bound in the skeleton. Krill-eating adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) reached equilibrium concentrations in the order of 10000 mg F/kg d.w. in femur. Fluoride uptake with the diet is buffered by the skeleton where it has a half-life of 3–4 weeks. Fluoride from fresh krill does not reach the organs of adélie penguins to the same extent as NaF. Most fluoride remains bound to the krill cuticle and is not absorbed by the penguin gut during digestion. The availability of krill fluoride was in the range of 21%–30% for muscle and 48%–68% for femur of adélie penguins as compared to NaF (100%). The role of the salt glands in fluoride excretion is neglegible. The uptake of approx. 240 mg F daily with the krill diet is balanced by excretion via the cloaca.
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This work was supported by a grant from the DFG Nr. MZ-AD 24/9 and by a stipend from the “Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes”
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Culik, B. Fluoride turnover in adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) and other brid species. Polar Biol 7, 179–187 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00259206
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00259206