Abstract
The concentrations of six elements (Ca, Mg, Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd) in the eggshells of breeding red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) in China’s Zhalong Wetland were examined. Two macronutrients, namely, Ca and Mg, were predominant in the eggshells, with corresponding concentrations varying from 127 g kg−1 to 323 g kg−1 and 0.33 g kg−1 to 5.51 g kg−1 (dry weight, dw), respectively. The Cu and Zn contents were in the range of below the detection limit (ND) to 8.05 mg kg−1 and ND to 511 mg kg−1 dw, respectively. The maximal Pb and Cd concentrations in the eggshells of the red-crowned crane exceeded a level considered to be potentially toxic in birds (i.e., 1.7 mg kg−1 for Pb and 0.34-0.91 mg kg−1 dw for Cd), ranging from ND-3.20 mg kg−1 dw for Pb and ND-1.20 mg kg−1 dw for Cd. The principal components analysis results revealed the complex chemical associations between two essential (Cu and Zn) and nonessential (Pb and Cd) elements in the eggshells of G. japonensis in China. Increased Pb and Cd levels in the bodies and eggshells of the red-crowned cranes suggest this species in their colonies are exposed to these contaminants, although which had not induced to obvious eggshell thinning in the examined species.
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This research was funded by projects of Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Education of P. R. China (Grant no.12541886) and Qiqihar municipal science project (Grant no. RKX-201301).
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Luo, J., Ye, Y., Gao, Z. et al. Trace element enrichment in the eggshells of Grus japonensis and its association with eggshell thinning in Zhalong Wetland (Northeastern China). Biologia 71, 220–227 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1515/biolog-2016-0021
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/biolog-2016-0021