Aaliyah Green's Projects
Mercury contamination in turtles from the Asian food trade
Mercury contamination is widespread in many aquatic and wetland ecosystems. Methyl mercury persists in sediments and biological tissues, and can be biomagnified through the food chain and accumulate to large concentrations in predators. Turtles are large, long-lived, and are often top predators in aquatic habitats, so it is likely that they are accumulating high concentrations of mercury in their tissues. This study will examine the extent of mercury contamination in a group of several species of turtles collected from the food trade in Southeast Asia . Samples from internal organs, as well as claws and scutes, will be analyzed for mercury content. If significantly elevated mercury levels are measured in the specimens, consumption of these turtles may present a severe health risk to consumers. It is our hope that this will decrease the demand for turtle meat in Southeast Asia . In addition, we hope to find a correlation between internal (organ) and external (claw and scute) mercury concentrations. This may provide a means of non-lethal sampling for metals in turtles, allowing researchers to estimate internal mercury levels from external data.
Collaborators: Kurt Buhlmann, Cris Hagen
Funding: SREL Financial Assistance Award DE-FC09-96SR18-546
Maternal transfer of mercury in Carolina diamondback terrapins Mercury contamination is an urgent environmental problem threatening the health and stability of estuarine ecosystems worldwide. Identifying the effects of environmentally-relevant mercury levels on biota will facilitate the development of effective management plans to preserve the quality of these sensitive habitats. This study will investigate maternal transfer of mercury in Carolina diamondback terrapins (Malaclemmys terrapin centrata ). Mercury levels will be measured in blood, scute, and egg samples from adult females at four sites along the South Carolina and Georgia coasts. Hatchlings will be measured and examined for physical and developmental abnormalities, and photographed to assess developmental asymmetry. Tissue samples will be analyzed for total mercury using automated thermal decomposition, amalgamation, and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Most contaminant research has focused on fish and birds, while reptiles have been relatively underrepresented in the ecotoxicological literature. This study will help to fill this research gap and to address the National Estuarine Research Reserve System focus area of non-point source pollution. Collaborators: Terry Norton, John Maerz, Andrew Davis Funding: Estuarine Reserves Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
 |