Hydrocarbons in sea otters (Enhydra lutris) and their habitat in coastal British Columbia, Canada
Date
2010-12-20T19:51:08Z
Authors
Harris, Katherine Anne
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Abstract
The purpose of this work was to examine the source and fate of hydrocarbons, the primary constituents of oil, in sea otter (Enhydra lutris) habitat on the west coast of British Columbia (BC), Canada and their fate in the sea otter food web. Oil pollution is the primary threat to this recovering population, reflecting their extreme vulnerability as a result of several unique life history characteristics, including the absence of a blubber layer, reliance on their fur for insulation, and the fact that their entire lives can be spent at sea.
While the vulnerability of sea otters to acute oil exposure has been demonstrated, chronic hydrocarbon exposure through dietary processes is not well understood. We measured hydrocarbon (alkane, hopane and sterane biomarker, and polycyclic aromatic) concentrations in sediments, prey items, and live-captured sea otters using high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). Background signatures were characterized for remote sediment sites, with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) patterns revealing the predominance of petrogenic sources. However, PAH concentrations were up to three orders of magnitude higher at two small harbour sites, with patterns reflecting weathered petroleum and the combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. Concentrations at these sites exceeded both national and provincial sediment quality guidelines for the protection of aquatic life.
Despite differences in habitat and feeding ecology, all sea otter prey species sampled exhibited PAH patterns dominated by petrogenic low molecular weight (LMW) compounds, highlighting the likely importance of water as an exposure route. While biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) generally decreased with increasing octanol-water partitioning coefficients (log Kow) for parent PAHs, BSAFs for alkyl PAHs increased, indicative of bioaccumulation by invertebrates.
Biomagnification factors (BMFs) indicated that while parent PAHs biodiluted in sea otters, consistent with metabolic elimination, some higher alkylated 3- and 4-ring PAHs biomagnified, challenging the commonly held view that PAHs dilute in food webs. This retention was reflected in estimated ∑PAH body burdens, in which alkyl PAHs comprised 89 ± 7% and 84 ± 10% of totals in male and female otters, respectively. While vertebrates are efficient metabolizers of parent PAHs, this apparent retention of some alkyl PAHs in sea otters raises concerns about the potential toxicological effects of these poorly understood compounds. This research suggests that sea otters may be vulnerable to PAH-related health risks as a consequence of their large dietary requirements (~25% of body weight per day), even when prey PAH concentrations are low.
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Keywords
Hydrocarbons, Sea otter