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Noninvasive heavy metal pollution assessment by means of Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) hair from Galicia (NW Spain): a comparison with invasive samples

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Abstract

The current study represents the first investigation of the suitability of wolf hair as indicator tissue for metal exposure and accumulation within NW Spanish ecosystems. Dead animals, which were not specifically killed for these purposes, were necropsied, and further toxicological analyses were performed in order to establish the heavy metal content (Pb, Cd, and Zn) in liver, kidney, and hair, by means of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Two different factors, gender and age, were considered in order to determine their influence on heavy metal accumulation. Mean liver, kidney and hair concentrations of both toxic element, Cd (0.528, 2.692, and 0.026 ppm) and Pb (4.108, 0.031, and 0.196 ppm) considered on a dry weight basis, were situated below the established as acute toxicity levels for mammals. The highest concentrations were quantified for Zn, with means ranging from a maximum in hair samples (150.9 ppm) to a minimum in kidney samples (25.81 ppm). When the variable of gender and age were considered, female and adult wolves had higher concentrations of Cd in all the considered organs, although differences were only statistically significant for kidney. Neither the sex nor the age had a significant effect on Pb and Zn concentrations. A significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) was identified between hair and liver Pb concentrations, as well as between hair and kidney Cd concentrations, thus suggesting the interest of the noninvasive sample for future ecotoxicological biomonitoring studies.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank to the Recovery Centers of Wildlife from Xunta de Galicia for supplying the samples and their collaboration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Toxicology Area, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UEX), 10003, Caceres, Spain

    David Hernández-Moreno, Irene de la Casa Resino, Francisco Soler Rodríguez & Marcos Pérez-López

  2. Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (USC), 27003, Lugo, Spain

    Luis E. Fidalgo & Ana López-Beceiro

  3. A.RE.NA. S.L. Asesores en Recursos Naturales S.L, Lugo, Spain

    Luis Llaneza

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  1. David Hernández-Moreno
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  2. Irene de la Casa Resino
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  3. Luis E. Fidalgo
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Correspondence to David Hernández-Moreno.

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Hernández-Moreno, D., de la Casa Resino, I., Fidalgo, L.E. et al. Noninvasive heavy metal pollution assessment by means of Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) hair from Galicia (NW Spain): a comparison with invasive samples. Environ Monit Assess 185, 10421–10430 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-013-3341-x

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