海岸雾导致美洲狮体内汞含量超标

海岸雾导致美洲狮体内汞含量超标

A surprising culprit has been fingered for very high mercury levels found in mountain lions living near the California coast — marine fog.

一个令人惊讶的罪魁祸首被认为是生活在加利福尼亚海岸附近的美洲狮体内汞含量过高——海洋雾。

According to research published this week in Scientific Reports, pumas living in the so-called “fog belt” of the Santa Cruz Mountains have three times the amount of mercury in their systems as those living outside of the fog zone.

根据本周发表在《科学报告》上的研究，生活在圣克鲁斯山脉所谓“雾带”的美洲狮体内的汞含量是生活在雾带之外的美洲狮体内汞含量的三倍。

The study, which was led by environmental toxicologist Peter Weiss-Penzias, collected and analyzed fur and whisker samples from 94 coastal mountain lions and 18 noncoastal lions.

这项研究由环境毒理学家彼得·维斯-彭齐亚斯(Peter Weiss-Penzias)领导，收集并分析了94只沿海美洲狮和18只非沿海美洲狮的皮毛和胡须样本。

Scientists found that mercury concentrations in the coastal samples averaged about 1,500 parts per billion (ppb), compared to nearly 500 ppb in the noncoastal group. In addition, at least one lion had mercury levels known to be toxic to species like mink and otters, while two others had “sublethal” levels that reduce fertility and reproductive success.

科学家发现，沿海样本的汞浓度平均约为每十亿分之一(ppb) 1500ppb，而非沿海样本的汞浓度接近每十亿分之一500 ppb。此外，至少有一头狮子体内的汞含量已知对水貂和水獭等物种有毒，而另外两只狮子体内的汞含量属于“亚致死”水平，会降低生育能力和繁殖成功率。

“Lichen don’t have any roots so the presence of elevated methylmercury in lichen must come from the atmosphere,” said Weiss-Penzias in a statement. “Mercury becomes increasingly concentrated in organisms higher up the food chain.”

“地衣没有任何根，所以地衣中甲基汞含量的升高一定是大气造成的，”Weiss-Penzias在一份声明中说。“汞越来越多地集中在食物链较高的生物体中。”

The elevated mercury levels are an additional threat to the predator, which is already battling habitat loss and other risks from humans, according to researchers.

研究人员称，汞含量的升高对食肉动物来说是一个额外的威胁，食肉动物已经在与人类栖息地的丧失和其他风险作斗争。

“These mercury levels might compound the impacts of trying to make it in an environment like the Santa Cruz Mountains, where there is already so much human influence, but we don’t really know,” said senior author Chris Wilmers, a professor of environmental studies and the director of the Puma Project.

环境研究教授、美洲狮项目负责人、资深作者克里斯·威尔默斯(Chris Wilmers)说:“这些汞含量可能会加剧在圣克鲁斯山脉这样的环境中生存的影响，在那里人类的影响已经很大了，但我们真的不知道。”

“Levels will be higher 100 years from now, when the Earth’s mercury budget is higher because of all the coal we’re pumping into the atmosphere.”

“100年后，由于我们向大气中排放了大量煤炭，地球的汞含量会更高。”

In a press release accompanying the study, scientists note that high levels of methylmercury can cause neurological damage, including memory loss and reduced motor coordination.

在这项研究的新闻发布会上，科学家们指出，高水平的甲基汞会导致神经损伤，包括记忆丧失和运动协调能力下降。

“We need to protect the top predators in the environment,” explained Weiss-Penzias. “They’re keystone species. They perform ecosystem services. When you change one thing, it has cascading effects through the system.”

“我们需要保护环境中的顶级捕食者，”维斯-彭齐亚斯解释说。“他们关键物种。它们提供生态系统服务。当你改变一件事时，它会对整个系统产生连锁效应。”