Several Marine Endangered Animals Heavy Metal Content And Evaluation

The pollution of environment is becoming more and more serious with the development of science and technology. People paid great attention to heavy metal since it is one of the important environmental contaminations. There were lots of data about heavy metal, but most of them were the economic animals and few data were involved in the rare and endangered species. In order to protect oceanic environment and marine creature, and provide some basic information for environmental protection and conservation biology, the concentrations of Hg, Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn in amphioxus (Branchiostoma belcheri), finless porpoise {Neophocaena phocaenoides sunameri) and bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), which are protected in Order 2 in China, were determined by atomic fluorescence spectrophotometer, atomic absorption spectrophotometer and SPSS11.5 statistical soft. The result showed, (1) it was polluted lightly in the sea near Weihai. By comparison with the result of the data in the past, it was found that the change of the concentration of heavy metals was small in the Yellow sea, but we must pay more attention to the concentration of Hg near the coast. (2) The concentrations of the heavy metals of Zn, Cu, Hg, Cd and Pb in amphioxus were from high to low. The concentrations of essential trace elements were lower in amphioxus than other marine animals, but the concentrations of nonessential trace elements were higher. The concentrations of heavy metals were higher in cetacean, which is at the top of the food chains in the aquatic ecosystem, especially Hg and Cu in liver, Cd in kidney and Zn in skin. The concentration of Hg was clearly higher in bottlenose dolphin than finless porpoise, and the concentrations of the other nonessential trace element were also higher in bottlenose dolphin.(3) By analyzing the concentration of heavy metals in muscles, skins, livers, kidneys, hearts, lungs,intestines and spleens of finless porpoise and bottlenose dolphin, the result showed the concentrations of heavy metals were highest in liver and lowest in skin in the two animals.Through statistical analysis on the concentrationsS of heavy metals in amphioxus, the result showed there was significant correlation between Hg and Cu, Hg and Zn, Cd and Zn, but their correlation was not strong. The correlation between Cu and Zn was strong. The concentrations of five detected heavy metals but Pb were in significant correlativity with body length and weight, and the correlation between Hg and body length, Hg and weight, Cu and body length, Cu and weight, Zn and body length, Zn and weight, was strong. The correlative coefficient was over 0.6 between Cu and Zn, Cu and body length, Cu and body weight, Zn and body length, Zn and body weight. The correlativity was positive between Cu and Zn, Hg and body length, Hg and body weight, Cd and body length, Zn and body weight. The other was negative. It also showed the correlation was very strong between body length and Hg, Cu, Zn, body weight and Hg, Cu, Zn from the result of linearity regression of multiple variables. In general, the correlativity was very high between body length and the concentration of heavy metals, body weight and the concentration of heavy metals in amphioxus, and their body length and body weight can reflect the concentration of Hg, Cu and Zn well.Heavy metal concentrations in amphioxus were firstly reported in Weihai (Yellow sea), and the correlation and regression to heavy metals concentration was analyzed in amphioxus. Pollution condition of ocean was estimated by integrating heavy metals concentration in amphioxus, finless porpoise and bottlenose dolphin. Seven or eight different tissues or organs were selected to detect Hg^ PK Cd> Cu> Zn in finless porpoise and bottlenose dolphin.