Comparative metal analysis in a species assemblage of mammals from the Southeastern United States

Metal pollution commonly occurs in many terrestrial environments and may pose a threat for the animals inhabiting such areas. Here, we present concentrations of six metals (cadmium [Cd], copper [Cu], nickel [Ni], lead [Pb], selenium [Se], and zinc [Zn]) in the liver tissues of seven species of mammals obtained from a study that examined the impact of mesopredator removal on northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations. A total of 1326 samples were collected from 2003 to 2006 at four sites in southwest Georgia and north Florida from nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), bobcats (Lynx rufus), feral cats (Felis catus), coyotes (Canis latrans), grey foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), opossums (Didelphis virginiana), and raccoons (Procyon lotor). Data from armadillos, bobcats, opossums, and raccoons were published previously to examine age, sex, spatial (between sites), and temporal (between years) variation. In this paper, we present similar comparisons for the remaining three species as well as comparisons of metal concentrations among all seven species. Concentrations of Cu and Pb exhibited strong negative relationships with body weight in coyotes, while Ni was positively correlated with weight in feral cats. Concentrations of these metals, as well as the other two tested (Cd and Zn), were not significantly correlated with one another in any of the three species. The only sex difference in liver metal concentrations was observed in female feral cats, which had higher levels of Pb than did males. Coyotes exhibited significant differences in Cu concentrations between sites and between years (2005 versus 2006). We also found significant differences between sites in Pb concentrations for both feral cats and grey foxes. There were significant differences in metal concentrations among all seven species for all metals except Cd. With the exception of Cd and Se (tested only in bobcats and opossums), a three-way ANOVA with species, year, and site as the three factors revealed significant differences among species for every metal but only a single main effect of year for Cu, and no main effects of site. In sum, our results provide an extensive survey of metal concentrations in a diverse assemblage of mammals and suggest that metal accumulation may be heavily influenced by species identity, which in turn may reflect ecological lifestyle.