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Correlation between trace element concentrations in the blood of female hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and egg quality in nesting populations of São Tomé Island

2025-08Journal article Open access
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datacite.subject.sdg12:Produção e Consumo Sustentáveis
datacite.subject.sdg14:Proteger a Vida Marinha
dc.contributor.authorMorão, Inês
dc.contributor.authorSimões, Tiago
dc.contributor.authorBusom Casado, Roger
dc.contributor.authorVieira, Sara
dc.contributor.authorFerreira-Airaud, Betânia
dc.contributor.authorCaliani, Ilaria
dc.contributor.authorDi Noi, Agata
dc.contributor.authorCasini, Silvia
dc.contributor.authorFossi, Maria C.
dc.contributor.authorLemos, Marco F.L.
dc.contributor.authorNovais, Sara C.
dc.date.accessioned2025-07-01T14:57:31Z
dc.date.available2025-07-01T14:57:31Z
dc.date.issued2025-08
dc.description.abstractMetals and metalloids can pose a significant threat to sea turtles, as these contaminants tend to accumulate in their bodies over time, due to their long lifespans and varied feeding habits. São Tomé and Príncipe's archipelago hosts the last remaining rookery for hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the region. The study aimed to determine the levels of metals and metalloids accumulated by this population and to investigate their possible genotoxicity in nesting females' blood as well as potential effects on their eggs in terms of morphometric characteristics and the quality of their lipidic reserves, essential for embryo development. Higher levels of Hg were found to be correlated with increased “lobed-shaped nuclei” in erythrocytic count, suggesting genotoxicity effects in this population. Higher levels of Se were correlated with thicker and heavier eggshells, while Pb levels were associated with the reduction of the egg's diameter. Metal contamination in females' blood significantly affected yolk polar fatty acids. Significant negative correlations were found between general metal contamination (PLI) and saturated fatty acids (SFA), while positive correlations were observed for essential omega-6 fatty acids (n6), mostly influenced by Cu, Fe, and Hg concentrations. This suggests that these omega-6 fatty acids are being synthesized from SFA, potentially indicating stress response by metal exposure. The present results point to some potential alterations in the normal embryonic development of these turtle eggs, influenced by metal contamination, which should raise some concerns about the future of this critically endangered species and call for additional conservation efforts in the region.eng
dc.description.sponsorshipThis study was supported by the Fundação para a Ciˆencia e a Tec nologia (FCT) through the Strategic Project granted to MARE (UID/04292/MARE–Centro de Ciˆencias do Mar e do Ambiente), the project granted to the Associated Laboratory ARNET (https://doi.org/10.5 4499/LA/P/0069/2020), the grant awarded to Inês Morão ao (https://doi.org/10.54499/PD/BD/150562/2019), and contracts to Tiago Simoes (https://doi.org/10.54499/2021.02559.CEECIND/CP1671/CT0001) and Sara Novais (https://doi.org/10.54499/CEECINST/00060/2021/CP2902/CT0007). We are grateful to all the members of the NGOs Pro grama Tato ˆ and Fundaçao ˜ Príncipe, as well as NGO research assistants (biologists Maria Branco and Yedda Oliveira), and Marco Santos and Manuel Armindo José, who worked on Rolas Islet during the sampling period and assisted us in the field under challenging conditions.
dc.identifier.citationInês F.C. Morão, Tiago Simões, Roger B. Casado, Sara Vieira, Betânia Ferreira-Airaud, Ilaria Caliani, Agata Di Noi, Silvia Casini, Maria C. Fossi, Marco F.L. Lemos, Sara C. Novais, Correlation between trace element concentrations in the blood of female hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and egg quality in nesting populations of São Tomé Island, Environmental Research, Volume 279, Part 1, 2025, 121594, ISSN 0013-9351, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2025.121594
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.envres.2025.121594
dc.identifier.issn0013-9351
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/13489
dc.language.isoeng
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.publisherElsevier BV
dc.relation.hasversionhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001393512500845X
dc.relation.ispartofEnvironmental Research
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectEgg reserves
dc.subjectErythrocyte nuclear abnormalities
dc.subjectFatty acids
dc.subjectMetals
dc.subjectReptiles
dc.titleCorrelation between trace element concentrations in the blood of female hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and egg quality in nesting populations of São Tomé Islandeng
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.endPage15
oaire.citation.startPage1
oaire.citation.titleEnvironmental Research
oaire.citation.volume279
oaire.versionhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
person.familyNameMorão
person.familyNameSimões
person.familyNameBusom Casado
person.givenNameInês
person.givenNameTiago
person.givenNameRoger
person.identifier.ciencia-idBC11-4D98-D13A
person.identifier.ciencia-id0D1D-8D1A-A883
person.identifier.orcid0000-0001-7329-2196
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-6107-9790
person.identifier.orcid0009-0004-7529-1241
person.identifier.scopus-author-id16302507900
relation.isAuthorOfPublication6cc91494-964b-410c-8601-8c842491b824
relation.isAuthorOfPublication5699372e-8c6b-40ff-b5e9-af28324980e3
relation.isAuthorOfPublicationa3f2ab5e-78db-4951-86fd-d36adea8af78
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery6cc91494-964b-410c-8601-8c842491b824

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