Arsenic accumulation in Sonora Mud Turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) in an unusual freshwater food web

Chelonian Conservation and Biology
By: , and 

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Abstract

Montezuma Well is an unusual fishless, spring-fed, desert wetland in central Arizona. Water in the wetland is naturally enriched with > 100 µg/l dissolved geogenic arsenic (As) and supports a simple aquatic food web dominated by a small number of endemic invertebrate species that achieve high abundances. Previous studies of As among various environmental compartments and organisms in Montezuma Well did not include omnivorous Sonora Mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) despite their potential importance in the As cycle by virtue of their substantial biomass and role as top predators. We measured As concentrations in water, sediment, and organisms (macrophytes, amphipods, insects, leeches, and turtles) representing a range of trophic levels in order to document the importance of turtles at the apex of the Montezuma Well food web and in the As cycle. Concentrations of As in turtles varied according to tissue type. The greatest values (up to 26.77 mg/kg dry weight) were in the scutes of 1 of our oldest turtles (31.5 yrs). These elevated concentrations may be due to the affinity of As to react with sulfur in the keratin of scutes, and therefore might reflect duration of exposure in long-lived turtles. Although As concentrations generally tend to decrease when moving up to higher trophic levels in a food web, our results were different. Relatively elevated concentrations reported in sediments by us and a previous study declined in plant samples as expected. Amphipod concentrations increased but then decreased again in 3 of their invertebrate predators. Arsenic concentrations in endemic leeches were extremely elevated with a mean value of 72.2 mg/kg. The mean concentration of As in turtles was 7.08 mg/kg across tissue types and was greater than the plants or invertebrates they eat, with the notable exception of leeches, which have been proposed to be part of their diet.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Arsenic accumulation in Sonora Mud Turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) in an unusual freshwater food web
Series title Chelonian Conservation and Biology
DOI 10.2744/CCB-1637.1
Volume 23
Issue 2
Year Published 2025
Language English
Publisher Chelonian Research Foundation
Contributing office(s) National Wildlife Health Center, Southwest Biological Science Center
Description 10 p.
First page 236
Last page 245
Country United States
State Arizona
Other Geospatial Montezuma Well
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