Mercury content in the fur of jaguars (Panthera onca) from two areas under different levels of gold mining impact in the Brazilian Pantanal

Total mercury content (THg) in hair is an accepted biomarker for chronic dietary methylmercury (MeHg) exposure. In artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) communities, the validity of this biomarker is questioned because of the potential for contamination from inorganic mercury. As mining communities may have both inorganic and organic mercury exposures, the efficacy of the hair-THg biomarker needs to be evaluated, particularly as nations begin population exposure assessments under their commitments to the Minamata Convention. We sought to validate the efficacy of hair THg for public health monitoring of MeHg exposures for populations living in ASGM communities. We quantified both THg and MeHg contents in hair from a representative subset of participants (N = 287) in a large, population-level mercury exposure assessment in the ASGM region in Madre de Dios (MDD), Peru. We compared population MeHg-THg correlations and %MeHg values with demographic variables including community location, sex, occupation, and nativity. We observed that hair MeHg-THg correlations were high (r > 0.7) for all communities, regardless of location or nativity. Specifically, for individuals within ASGM communities, 81% (121 of 150 total) had hair THg predominantly in the form of MeHg (i.e., >66% of THg) and reflective of dietary exposure to mercury. Furthermore, for individuals with hair THg exceeding the U.S. EPA threshold (1.0 μg/g), 88 out of 106 (83%) had MeHg as the predominant form. As a result, had urine THg solely been used for mercury exposure monitoring, approximately 59% of the ASGM population would have been misclassified as having low mercury exposure. Our results support the use of hair THg for monitoring of MeHg exposure of populations in ASGM settings where alternative biomarkers of MeHg exposure are not feasible.

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Space use and movement of jaguar (Panthera onca) in western Paraguay

Mammalia ◽

10.1515/mammalia-2017-0040 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 82 (6) ◽

pp. 540-549 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Roy T. McBride ◽

Jeffrey J. Thompson

Keyword(s):

Confidence Interval ◽

Home Range ◽

Hydrological Cycle ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Density Estimator ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Panthera Onca ◽

Core Areas ◽

Brazilian Pantanal

AbstractHome range and core area size were estimated for jaguar (Panthera onca) in western Paraguay in the Dry Chaco, Humid Chaco and Pantanal using an autocorrelated kernel density estimator. Mean home range size was 818 km2(95% confidence interval: 425–1981) in the Dry Chaco and 237 km2(95% confidence interval: 90–427) in the Humid Chaco/Pantanal. Core areas, defined as the home range area where use was equal to expected use, was consistent across sexes and systems represented on average by the 59% home range isopleth (range: 56–64%). Males had a higher probability of larger home ranges and more directional and greater daily movements than females collectively and within systems. The large home ranges in the Dry Chaco are attributable to the relatively low productivity of that semi-arid ecosystem and high heterogeneity in resource distribution while larger than expected home ranges in the Humid Chaco/Pantanal compared to home range estimates from the Brazilian Pantanal may be due to differences in geomorphology and hydrological cycle. The large home ranges of jaguars in western Paraguay and a low proportional area of protected areas in the region demonstrate the importance of private ranchland for the long-term conservation of the species.

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Antagonistic interactions between predator and prey: mobbing of jaguars (Panthera onca) by white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari)

acta ethologica ◽

10.1007/s10211-020-00335-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 45-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lilian E. Rampim ◽

Leonardo R. Sartorello ◽

Carlos E. Fragoso ◽

Mario Haberfeld ◽

Allison L. Devlin

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Group Living ◽

Video Camera ◽

Panthera Onca ◽

Behavioral Interactions ◽

Tayassu Pecari ◽

Behavioral Interaction ◽

In The Wild ◽

Brazilian Pantanal ◽

Ambush Predators

Abstract Ambush predators rely on stealth to successfully secure prey. Mobbing is a rarely observed anti-predation strategy used by group-living prey species whereby several individuals distract or harass a predator until it either ends the pursuit or leaves the area. Herein, we present three unique cases of white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) mobbing jaguars (Panthera onca) in the wild. White-lipped peccaries and jaguars co-occur within the study area, a large-scale ecotourism and working cattle ranch in the Brazilian Pantanal. Two cases of mobbing were recorded by video camera trap during routine surveys, and a third case was directly observed by one of the authors during telemetry triangulation of a GPS-collared individual jaguar. Our observations provide direct empirical evidence of antagonistic behavioral interactions between jaguars and white-lipped peccaries that have previously been limited to anecdotes within academic literature. We discuss the implications of this behavioral interaction for the proximate and ultimate fitness of both predator and prey.

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Sedentary nestlings of Wood Stork as monitors of mercury contamination in the gold mining region of the Brazilian Pantanal

Environmental Research ◽

10.1016/j.envres.2011.07.007 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 111 (8) ◽

pp. 1091-1095 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Silvia Nassif Del Lama ◽

Cristiano Dosualdo Rocha ◽

Wilson Figueiredo Jardim ◽

Jo-Szu Tsai ◽

Peter Crawford Frederick

Keyword(s):

Gold Mining ◽

Mercury Contamination ◽

Wood Stork ◽

Mining Region ◽

Brazilian Pantanal

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The numbers of the beast: Valuation of jaguar ( Panthera onca ) tourism and cattle depredation in the Brazilian Pantanal

Global Ecology and Conservation ◽

10.1016/j.gecco.2017.05.003 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

pp. 106-114 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Fernando R. Tortato ◽

Thiago J. Izzo ◽

Rafael Hoogesteijn ◽

Carlos A. Peres

Keyword(s):

Panthera Onca ◽

Brazilian Pantanal

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Is reintroduction a tool for the conservation of the jaguar Panthera onca? A case study in the Brazilian Pantanal

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605320000460 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Rose Lilian Gasparini-Morato ◽

Leonardo Sartorello ◽

Lilian Rampim ◽

Carlos Eduardo Fragoso ◽

Joares Adenilson May ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Daily Activity ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Native Vegetation ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Panthera Onca ◽

Species Survival ◽

Movement Parameters ◽

Brazilian Pantanal ◽

Daily Activity Patterns

Abstract To evaluate the feasibility of reintroduction as a tool for conservation of the jaguar Panthera onca, we adapted the IUCN soft release protocol to reintroduce two jaguars in the southern Pantanal, Brazil. After being kept at rescue centres for 13 months, the jaguars were moved to a 1-ha enclosure with native vegetation on a 53,000 ha ranch in the Pantanal, where hunting is not allowed and prey is abundant. In the enclosure, the animals were fed with meat, dead animals (roadkill) and then, progressively, live wild prey. After 11 months, the jaguars were fitted with collars equipped with GPS/VHF (recording one location per hour) and accelerometers, and released in the same area. The animals established residence near the enclosure, with home ranges, movement parameters, daily activity patterns and prey consumption similar to that recorded in previous studies. Social interaction and reproduction indicated the reintroduction was successful, and that it can be a tool for the species' survival in areas where the jaguar population is in decline.

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Study of Reducing the Damage and Reuse of Waste Tanks in the Certej Mining Area

Mining Revue ◽

10.2478/minrv-2021-0004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 34-40

Author(s):

Mărioara Benea ◽

Sorin Mihai Radu ◽

Evgheni Taschi

Keyword(s):

Gold Mining ◽

Mining Area ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

History Of ◽

Excess Moisture ◽

Spontaneous Vegetation ◽

Ecological Reconstruction ◽

Combined Impact ◽

Different Levels ◽

Tailings Dumps

Abstract The Certej area is an area of gold mining activities with a history of several hundred years. The only activity with a significant share in the area was the mining activity, which provided the population of Certeju de Sus commune and its surroundings with the means necessary for a decent living. In the case of tailings dumps, the soil suffers a combined impact - by removing large areas of land from the natural circuit and by generating acidic water. The geology and morphology of the region, characterized by the existence of surfaces with different slopes, are natural causes that attribute different levels of vulnerability to land at the onset of degradation processes by erosion, landslides and excess moisture. All these bring limitations in the use of land on the main uses: agricultural, forestry, construction, etc. The paper aims to provide solutions for the reuse of these lands, their use by recultivation, the search for plant species adaptable to soil conditions. A relatively small number of species were determined on the tailings dumps in the studied area, the spontaneous vegetation is visibly stressed by the existing conditions. As such, the method of ecological reconstruction of freshly deposited tailings dumps by the method of forest recultivation is proposed.

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KAJIAN KANDUNGAN LOGAM BERAT MERKURI (Hg) PADA KERANG AIR TAWAR (Anodonta sp) DI KAWASAN HILIR SUB DAS KRUENG MEUREUBO, ACEH BARAT

JURNAL PERIKANAN TROPIS ◽

10.35308/jpt.v3i1.32 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Munandar Munandar ◽

Alwis Alamsyah

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Gold Mining ◽

Total Mercury ◽

Freshwater Mussels ◽

Deposition Process ◽

Mercury Content ◽

Upstream Region ◽

Marine Animals ◽

Potential Factor ◽

Banda Aceh

One source of mercury pollution came from gold mining was done by the community from gold processing through amalgamation. Heavy metals that present in the waters will undergo deposition process and accumulate in marine animals then end up in humans. Meureubo upstream region is one of the locations that still carried out the gold mining activities used mercury. That condition is one potential factor that can contaminate the waters. This study was conducted in October-November 2014. Sampling was taked in Meureubo River and the mercury content analysis was carried out in the Laboratory of Research and Standardization Industry (Baristan) Banda Aceh. The laboratory analysis results showed that the total mercury (Hg) of heavy metals in the freshwater mussels samples (Anodonta sp) on RP station is 0,074 ppm, PP illustrates 0,042 ppm and PA confirms 0.304 ppm. Furthermore, the total mercury (Hg) of heavy metals in the sample freshwater on RP station around 0.0005085 mg/l, PP 0.0001792 mg/l and PA 0.0006711 mg/l. The results showed that the samples of freshwater mussels (Anodonta sp) and the water samples which taken at three stations (Rantau Panjang, Pasi Pinang, Pasi Aceh) were positive for mercury (Hg).

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Space use and movement of jaguar (Panthera onca) in western Paraguay

10.1101/119412 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Roy T McBride ◽

Jeffrey J Thompson

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Hydrological Cycle ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Density Estimator ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Panthera Onca ◽

Core Areas ◽

Utility Distribution ◽

Brazilian Pantanal

AbstractWe estimated home range and core area size for jaguar (Panthera onca) in western Paraguay in the Dry Chaco, Humid Chaco and Pantanal using an autocorrelated kernel density estimator. Mean home range size was 818 km2 (95% CI:425-1981) in the Dry Chaco and 237 km2 (95% CI:90-427) in the Humid Chaco/Pantanal. Core areas, defined as the home range area where use was equal to expected use, was consistent across sexes and systems represented on average by the 59% utility distribution isopleth (range:56-64%). Males had a higher probability of larger home ranges and more directional and greater daily movements than females collectively and within systems. The large home ranges in the Dry Chaco are attributable to the relatively low productivity of that semi-arid ecosystem and high heterogeneity in resource distribution while larger than expected home ranges in the Humid Chaco/Pantanal compared to home range estimates from the Brazilian Pantanal may be due to differences in geomorphology and hydrological cycle. The large home ranges of jaguars in western Paraguay and a low proportional area of protected areas in the region demonstrate the importance of private ranchland for the long-term conservation of the species.

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