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Journal article
Heavy metal concentrations in feathers and metabolomic profiles in Pacific black ducks (Anas superciliosa) from Southeastern Australia
Environmental toxicology and chemistry, Vol.44(1), pp.92-102
2025
Abstract
Heavy metals are cumulative toxicants that frequently create negative health effects for waterbirds inhibiting contaminated freshwater systems. Although levels of exposure to heavy metals have been well documented for many waterbird species, the adverse effects of exposure remain relatively poorly understood. One emerging field that allows the exploration of such effects is metabolomics. The aim of this study was to characterize metabolomic profiles in relation to long-term heavy metal exposure in a waterbird species. In 2021, wings from 44 Pacific black ducks (Anas superciliosa) were collected by recreational hunters at three sites in Victoria, southeastern Australia. The concentrations of seven heavy metals were measured in feathers and these data were quantified via inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry and compared with a semiquantitative assessment of 21 metabolites identified in muscle tissues from the same birds via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Principal component analysis was conducted to test associations between metabolites, heavy metals, and sites. Mean heavy metal concentrations detected were copper (9.97 µg/g), chromium (0.73 µg/g), iron (123.24 µg/g), manganese (13.01 µg/g), mercury (0.58 µg/g), lead (0.86 µg/g), and zinc (183.95 µg/g; dry wt). No association was found between heavy metals and 17 metabolites, whereas four metabolites were negatively associated with some heavy metals: α-linolenic acid with iron, glucose with lead and manganese, lactic acid with mercury, and propanoic acid with mercury. There were few differences in the studied metabolites in ducks between the three sites. This study provides a novel approach to combining toxicological and metabolomic data for an ecologically important species from a relatively poorly studied global region.
Details
- Title
- Heavy metal concentrations in feathers and metabolomic profiles in Pacific black ducks (Anas superciliosa) from Southeastern Australia
- Authors/Creators
- Damien NzabanitaHao ShenStephen GristJordan O Hampton - The University of MelbourneJasmin Hufschmid - The University of MelbourneDayanthi Nugegoda
- Publication Details
- Environmental toxicology and chemistry, Vol.44(1), pp.92-102
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
- Number of pages
- 11
- Grant note
- Cybec FoundationRMIT UniversityUniversity of Melbourne
This research was funded by Cybec Foundation, RMIT University, and the University of Melbourne.
- Identifiers
- 991005727384707891
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2025.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Sustainability; School of Veterinary Medicine
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.91 Contamination & Phytoremediation
- 3.91.644 Mercury Dynamics
- Web Of Science research areas
- Environmental Sciences
- Toxicology
- ESI research areas
- Environment/Ecology