Cetaceans - Can they be indicators of the state of the Black Sea environment?
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Date
2025-03-26
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Plovdiv University Press Paisii Hilendarski
Abstract
Anthropogenic pollution affects marine ecosystems worldwide, including the Black Sea. Heavy metals accumulation in animal tissues is crucial for monitoring ecosystem health. As top predators, cetaceans can serve as indicators of marine conditions. This study examines five heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni) in tissues of two Black Sea cetaceans and three fish species, constituting the their diet. Zinc showed the highest concentration in all
studied samples. The Biomagnification factor (BMF) results indicate biomagnification in the cetaceans samples for the elements Cd and Zn.
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Keywords
cetaceans, heavy metals, Black Sea