A North American and global survey of perfluoroalkyl substances in surface soils: Distribution patterns and mode of occurrence.

The distribution of 32 per/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in surface soils was determined at 62 locations representing all continents (North America n = 33, Europe n = 10, Asia n = 6, Africa n = 5, Australia n = 4, South America n = 3 and Antarctica n = 1) using ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) systems. Quantifiable levels of perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs: PFHxA-PFTeDA) were observed in all samples with total concentrations ranging from 29 to 14,300 pg/g (dry weight), while perfluoroalkane sulfonates (PFSAs: PFHxS, PFOS and PFDS) were detected in all samples but one, ranging from

Leatherback turtles are capital breeders: morphometric and physiological evidence from longitudinal monitoring.

Organisms compensate for reproduction costs through two major strategies: capital breeders store body reserves before reproduction and do not feed during the breeding season, whereas income breeders adjust their food intake depending on concurrent reproductive needs. Sea turtles are commonly considered capital breeders. Yet recent biometric and behavioral studies have suggested that sea turtles may in fact feed during reproduction. We tested this hypothesis in the leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea, nesting in French Guiana. Our study is based on the innovative use of longitudinal monitoring for morphological (body size, body mass, and body condition) and physiological (plasma glucose, triacylglycerides, urea, calcium, and hematocrit) measurements in 35 females throughout the 2006 nesting season. During their 71-d nesting period, leatherbacks lost a mean (±SE) of [Formula: see text] kg (i.e., ∼11% of their initial body mass of [Formula: see text] kg). Simultaneously, a significant decrease in plasma concentrations of glucose, triacylglycerides, and urea was observed throughout the nesting season, following typical patterns reported in other long-fasting animals that rely on lipid body stores. At the end of the nesting season, the interindividual variability in plasma concentrations was very low, which may characterize some minimum thresholds associated with the end of reproduction. We also identified a minimum necessary threshold for female body condition at the onset of reproduction; the body condition of any females beginning the nesting period below this threshold decreased dramatically. This study makes a compelling case that, in French Guiana, gravid leatherback females are anorexic during the nesting season (i.e., leatherback turtles are capital breeders). We further highlight the mechanisms that prevent this multiparous reptile from jeopardizing its own body condition while not feeding during reproduction.