Bioaccumulation and physiological responses of the turtle Chelydra serpentina exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls during early life stages

Despite the North American production ban of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), PCBs are ubiquitous in environment and wildlife tissues. Chelydra serpentina (common snapping turtle) have been used as environmental indicators PCB pollution upwards 40 years given their high site fidelity trophic position. long use contamination, effects reptiles remain largely unknown. In this study, we performed two experiments to assess i) bioaccumulation ii) toxicity 1-month-old C. s. serpentina, aid interpretation burdens. Food pellets were spiked at an environmentally relevant concentration (0.45 μg/g) mixture Aroclor 1254 model hepatic depuration, through feeding, for 31 days clean food 50 days, respectively. No significant differences concentrations observed liver tissue over course experiment, suggesting that juvenile turtles can likely metabolize low occurring PCBs. Additionally, a dose-response determine showed 1.8-fold increase expression cyp1a when fed A1254-spiked (12.7 μg/g; range 0–12.7 μg/g). This gene induction correlates with group 3 congeners measured turtle liver, which known be metabolized by CYP1A. study indicates may good indicator PCBs, while more research is needed body burdens wild serpentina.