Heavy metals in livers of raptors from Eastern Poland – the importance of diet composition

Authors

  • Ignacy Kitowski State School of Higher Education in Chełm, Pocztowa 54, 22-100 Chełm
  • Agnieszka Sujak Department of Biophysics, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-930 Lublin
  • Dariusz Wiącek Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doświadczalna 4, 20-290 Lublin
  • Wacław Strobel Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doświadczalna 4, 20-290 Lublin
  • Andrzej Komosa Department of Radiochemistry and Colloid Chemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Pl. M. C. Skłodowskiej 3, 20-031 Lublin
  • Marcin Stobiński Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2016.34

Keywords:

raptors, liver, heavy metals, lead bullets

Abstract

Concentrations of Pb, Cd, Ni, Cr and Hg were determined in livers of six species of raptors collected in the area of Eastern Poland. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that elevated Hg and Cr concentrations were directly related to feeding on passerines. Raptors that specialised in seizing small mammals as a source of food revealed higher hepatic concentrations of Pb and Cd in comparison with other raptors. Unlike Cd, we found statistically significant differences in the Pb concentrations in livers of Common buzzards as compared to Sparrowhawks. In spite of the fact that both Goshawks and Sparrowhawks hunt birds, only the latter species had accumulated significantly more mercury. The high concentrations of Hg in Sparrowhawks could be related to the use of mercury in antifungal substances for seed dressing.

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Published

2020-01-10

How to Cite

Kitowski, I., Sujak, A., Wiącek, D., Strobel, W., Komosa, A., & Stobiński, M. (2020). Heavy metals in livers of raptors from Eastern Poland – the importance of diet composition. Belgian Journal of Zoology, 146(1). https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2016.34

Issue

Vol. 146 No. 1 (2016)

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Articles

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