Persistent organic pollutants and fatty acids in humpback whales: Antarctic and Chilean feeding and Brazilian breeding sites

Cristian T Timoszczuk; Satie Taniguchi; Josilene da Silva; Lucas Costa Pereira; Luciano Dalla Rosa; Eduardo R Secchi; Javier Negrete; João Carlos Gomes Borges; Salvatore Siciliano; Paula Baldassin; Jorge Acevedo; Anelio Aguayo-Lobo; Pedro F Fruet; Márcia Caruso Bícego; Rafael André Lourenço

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178170

Persistent organic pollutants and fatty acids in humpback whales: Antarctic and Chilean feeding and Brazilian breeding sites

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Dec 19:958:178170. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178170. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Cristian T Timoszczuk¹, Satie Taniguchi², Josilene da Silva², Lucas Costa Pereira², Luciano Dalla Rosa³, Eduardo R Secchi³, Javier Negrete⁴, João Carlos Gomes Borges⁵, Salvatore Siciliano⁶, Paula Baldassin⁷, Jorge Acevedo⁸, Anelio Aguayo-Lobo⁹, Pedro F Fruet¹⁰, Márcia Caruso Bícego², Rafael André Lourenço²

Affiliations

¹ Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, Praça do Oceanográfico, 191, São Paulo, SP 05508-120, Brazil. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, Praça do Oceanográfico, 191, São Paulo, SP 05508-120, Brazil.
³ Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação da Megafauna Marinha, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, Rio Grande, RS 96203-000, Brazil.
⁴ Departamento de Biología de Predadores Tope, Instituto Antártico Argentino, Av. 25 de Mayo 1143(B1650HMK), San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Av. 122 y 60 S/N (1900), La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas (CONICET), Godoy Cruz, 2290, C1425FQB, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
⁵ Fundação de Mamíferos Aquáticos, Estrada de Matapuã, 411, Anexo Chácara Anjo Gabriel, Mosqueiro, São Cristóvão, SE 49100-000, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Monitoramento Ambiental, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Av. Santa Elisabete, 160, Rio Tinto, PB 58297-000, Brazil.
⁶ Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública/Fiocruz, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21041-210, Brazil.
⁷ Instituto BW para a Conservação e Medicina da Fauna Marinha, R. Profa. Suely Brasil Flores, 88. Praia Seca, Araruama, RJ 28972-765, Brazil.
⁸ Centro de Estudios del Cuaternario de Fuego-Patagonia y Antártica (CEQUA), Punta Arenas, Chile.
⁹ Instituto Antártico Chileno, Punta Arenas, Chile.
¹⁰ Museu Oceanográfico Prof. Eliézer de C. Rios, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, Rio Grande, RS 96200-580, Brazil.

PMID: 39705950
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178170

Abstract

This study investigated the fatty acid composition and persistent organic pollutant (POP) levels in humpback whales across the Southern Ocean, Chilean and Brazilian coast. We found significant regional variations in both fatty acids and POPs. Whales from the Strait of Magellan exhibited a distinct fatty acid profile, indicative of a specialized diet rich in higher trophic level prey. In contrast, whales from the Antarctic Peninsula and Brazilian coast displayed fatty acid compositions typical of humpback whales with krill-based diets. Additionally, pollutant concentrations, particularly PCBs, were significantly elevated in whales from the Strait of Magellan. This suggests a strong link between dietary habits and pollutant exposure.

Keywords: Marine mammals; Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs); Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs); Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); Southern Ocean.