Distribution Of Heavy Metals In Raptor Birds In Xiamen And Toxic Effect Of Lead On Common Quail

Distribution of heavy metals in raptor birds in Xiamen and acute and sub-chronic toxic effect of lead on common quail were studied in this paper.In this study, contents of heavy metal, copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) were measured with atom-absorbed spectrophotometer in the feather, muscle, bone, liver and heart of four species of raptors,Grass Owl (Tyto capensis), Oriental Scops Owl (Otus sunia), Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) and Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), collected from Jimei area in Xiamen. We aim at using raptor birds as a heavy metal contamination biomonitor in the environment and gaining some basic data for the future study of their damage on the birds. The result showed that the heavy metal contents were Zn>Cu>Pb>Cd in the feather, muscle, liver and heart of Grass Owl and Oriental Scops Owl and in the five kinds of organs and tissues of Eurasian Hobby and Common Kestrel, and that the heavy metal contents were Zn>Cu>Pb>Cd in the bone of Grass Owl and Oriental Scops Owl. The copper, zinc, lead and cadmium were higher in the liver, heart and bone, but lower in the muscle of raptor birds. So, bone and liver could be used as the biomonitor of environmental contamination. Heavy metal contents in the raptors were mainly affected by environmental pollution, food habit and the ability of collecting heavy metal of the birds.With the mortality as our experimental index, in this text, when Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) was exposed to heavy metal pollutants, the acute toxicities of lead acetate to birds was studied. Test measurements included LD50, morphological effects of the poisoning, and changes of weight and blood lead levels. After the lead acetate poisoned 24 hours, a majority of animals caused symptoms of breath heavily, behavior maladjustment and poor appetite, then appeared stagnant and drooped. Lead acetate's LD50 values was 3969.4㎎/㎏, and 95 % confidence was 2449.1～6433.5㎎/㎏. Most of experimented animal had the symptom of heavily breathing movement malajustment, appetite reductionand languishment after 24 h of lead acetate treatment. High concentration of lead acetate made significant effects on the weight and blood lead levels of treated Common.This experiment also studied the effects of trace lead on the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase(CAT), glutathione S-transferase(GST), and content of reduced glutathione(GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver and kidney on Common Quail in order to investigate the toxicity mechanism of trace lead on antioxidant system and lipid peroxidation in birds. The results showed that the activity of SOD, CAT, GST and the content of GSH in Common Quail exposed to trace lead were induced earlier and then inhibited; this explained that Pb in environment might be produced oxidative stress to birds. MDA content in the liver and kidney of Common Quail was significantly increased as increase of Pb concentration with time. These results suggested that lipid peroxidation maybe one of the mechanisms of lead toxicity to birds. In conclusion, after Pb entering into body, Pb might be metabolized in liver and kidney, then restrained the activity of...