海岸霧導致美洲獅體內汞含量超標

海岸霧導致美洲獅體內汞含量超標

A surprising culprit has been fingered for very high mercury levels found in mountain lions living near the California coast — marine fog.

一個令人驚訝的罪魁禍首被認為是生活在加利福尼亞海岸附近的美洲獅體內汞含量過高——海洋霧。

According to research published this week in Scientific Reports, pumas living in the so-called “fog belt” of the Santa Cruz Mountains have three times the amount of mercury in their systems as those living outside of the fog zone.

根據(jù)本周發(fā)表在《科學報告》上的研究，生活在圣克魯斯山脈所謂“霧帶”的美洲獅體內的汞含量是生活在霧帶之外的美洲獅體內汞含量的三倍。

The study, which was led by environmental toxicologist Peter Weiss-Penzias, collected and analyzed fur and whisker samples from 94 coastal mountain lions and 18 noncoastal lions.

這項研究由環(huán)境毒理學家彼得·維斯-彭齊亞斯(Peter Weiss-Penzias)領導，收集并分析了94只沿海美洲獅和18只非沿海美洲獅的皮毛和胡須樣本。

Scientists found that mercury concentrations in the coastal samples averaged about 1,500 parts per billion (ppb), compared to nearly 500 ppb in the noncoastal group. In addition, at least one lion had mercury levels known to be toxic to species like mink and otters, while two others had “sublethal” levels that reduce fertility and reproductive success.

科學家發(fā)現(xiàn)，沿海樣本的汞濃度平均約為每十億分之一(ppb) 1500ppb，而非沿海樣本的汞濃度接近每十億分之一500 ppb。此外，至少有一頭獅子體內的汞含量已知對水貂和水獺等物種有毒，而另外兩只獅子體內的汞含量屬于“亞致死”水平，會降低生育能力和繁殖成功率。

“Lichen don’t have any roots so the presence of elevated methylmercury in lichen must come from the atmosphere,” said Weiss-Penzias in a statement. “Mercury becomes increasingly concentrated in organisms higher up the food chain.”

“地衣沒有任何根，所以地衣中甲基汞含量的升高一定是大氣造成的，”Weiss-Penzias在一份聲明中說。“汞越來越多地集中在食物鏈較高的生物體中。”

The elevated mercury levels are an additional threat to the predator, which is already battling habitat loss and other risks from humans, according to researchers.

研究人員稱，汞含量的升高對食肉動物來說是一個額外的威脅，食肉動物已經(jīng)在與人類棲息地的喪失和其他風險作斗爭。

“These mercury levels might compound the impacts of trying to make it in an environment like the Santa Cruz Mountains, where there is already so much human influence, but we don’t really know,” said senior author Chris Wilmers, a professor of environmental studies and the director of the Puma Project.

環(huán)境研究教授、美洲獅項目負責人、資深作者克里斯·威爾默斯(Chris Wilmers)說:“這些汞含量可能會加劇在圣克魯斯山脈這樣的環(huán)境中生存的影響，在那里人類的影響已經(jīng)很大了，但我們真的不知道。”

“Levels will be higher 100 years from now, when the Earth’s mercury budget is higher because of all the coal we’re pumping into the atmosphere.”

“100年后，由于我們向大氣中排放了大量煤炭，地球的汞含量會更高。”

In a press release accompanying the study, scientists note that high levels of methylmercury can cause neurological damage, including memory loss and reduced motor coordination.

在這項研究的新聞發(fā)布會上，科學家們指出，高水平的甲基汞會導致神經(jīng)損傷，包括記憶喪失和運動協(xié)調能力下降。

“We need to protect the top predators in the environment,” explained Weiss-Penzias. “They’re keystone species. They perform ecosystem services. When you change one thing, it has cascading effects through the system.”

“我們需要保護環(huán)境中的頂級捕食者，”維斯-彭齊亞斯解釋說。“他們關鍵物種。它們提供生態(tài)系統(tǒng)服務。當你改變一件事時，它會對整個系統(tǒng)產(chǎn)生連鎖效應。”