Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals (17 Elements) in the Liver and

Overview

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Key numbers

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weasel, based on samples (n = 129) collected from adjacent intensive agricultural envi-
Austrian specimens (n = 14) were collected in 2023. The Austrian sampling site was in
suitable for trace analysis were used for sample preparation. Hydrogen peroxide (30 m/m%,
AnalaR NORMAPUR), nitric acid (69 m/m%, Aristar), hydrochloric acid (37 m/m%,
Table 1 summarizes the monitored isotopes, applied internal standards, limits of
Table 1. Measured isotopes, internal standards, limits of detection (LoD) of the elements, and quality
Internal QC (SRM 1577c) (n = 3)
that did not have certified values in SRM 1577c, or the measured value in the CRM was below the LoD of the
respective element. The spiked values were equal to 1.0 mg/kg. N.A. = not available.
Loadings of about |0.35| or higher were considered to be substantively meaningful in
to filter out the biologically irrelevant differences (49,50). Formally, if the mean and stan-
(Martes foina) (36.1%—(65)), and small mammals may also constitute a significant propor-
used the average values described by (73) (muscle—74.5%, liver—72.1%, kidney—74.8%)
Table 2 shows the average concentrations of the 17 heavy metals tested in the liver and
Table 2. Standard descriptive statistics for Organ Type (liver and kidney) separately, irrespective
of country. The values are expressed in mg/kg wet weight. Q1 designates the first quartile, while
Q3 designates the third quartile, with Q1 representing the lower 25% of the observations when the
data are arranged in ascending order. Q3 represents the upper quartile (also referred to as the third
quartile or the 75th percentile of a dataset), containing 75% of the observations in the upper half of
tests indicated that 16 out of 17 numerical variables (94.12%) violated normality highly
types examined (Table 2). Accordingly, we found significant differences between the two
(p < 0.05) (Table 3). After applying the MCID (0.5 SD) criterion, Hg and Pb were considered
accounted for 25.90%. Together, they accounted for 65.22% of the total multivariate variance.
Table 3. A comparison of liver vs. kidney metal concentration (mg/kg w.w.) in the sampled
Table 4. MCID (0.5 SD) Table for Significant Metals.
Metal Mean_Diff SD_Diff MCID_0.5×SD Exceeds_MCID
ologically and toxicologically meaningful. Specifically, PC1 was mainly characterized by
with a 100% accuracy. PC1 has very high negative loadings for iron and manganese, but a
countries (Tables 5 and 6). In liver samples, there was a significant difference in Ti (BH
the two countries regarding the bioaccumulation of the 17 metals (see Table 6), congruent
concentration described in the liver of canids ranges from 103.87 to 283.81 mg/kg, while
the concentrations measured in the kidney are lower, ranging from 44.58 to 64.91 mg/kg
(Table S1). Based on our study, the average concentration detected in liver tissue falls
(Tables 2 and S1). The tissue concentration of Fe varies significantly among different taxa,
of its diet (28), accounting for up to 95% of its diet intake (29). In contrast, plant-based
values ranged from 8.39 to 99.12 mg/kg in liver samples and from 4.28 to 41.32 mg/kg in
consistent with these values regardless of tissue type (Tables 2 and S1). The concentration
2.32 to 18.70 mg/kg (Table S1). The average values measured in both tissue samples from
(Tables 2 and S1). With regard to Cu, we know of soft tissue values for the European polecat
small mustelidae (Table S2). In Europe, Mn concentrations ranging from 3.01 to 4.72 mg/kg
similar to those of the least weasel, while no data are available for kidneys (Table S2).
from Croatia (76). According to (88), the Mn content of tissues in mammals ranges from 0.3

Methods (brief)

weasel, based on samples (n = 129) collected from adjacent intensive agricultural envi-
The samples were collected in agricultural environments in Hungary and Austria.
of partial culling, it has enjoyed full protection since 1988 (37), so our sample collection
where the sample collection took place, and can even be hunted all year round (38,39), but
for sample collection—in accordance with the nature conservation authority’s permit—is
devices set out in Section 36 (1) of Act CLXXXIII of 2015. The Hungarian sample collection
samples (n = 51) were collected between 20 August 2023 and 14 August 2024, while the
Austrian specimens (n = 14) were collected in 2023. The Austrian sampling site was in
We examined a total of 129 samples (64 liver and 65 kidney) for the accumulation of
suitable for trace analysis were used for sample preparation. Hydrogen peroxide (30 m/m%,
(ICP-MS), we used a multi-element standard solution (Instrument Calibration Standard 2,
TruQms); internal standard elements were added to the samples, calibration solutions, and
Hungary). During sample preparation, 0.5 g of each sample was weighed into CEM MARS
and the samples were digested in a CEM MARS6 microwave digestion system (CEM
200 ◦ C; 50 min holding; MW power 1700 W; 40 positions. After digestion, the contents of the
The samples for quality control and the blank samples were prepared in the same way.
Between digestion cycles, the Teflon vessels were cleaned with 0.15 M hydrochloric acid
Waltham, MA, USA) ICP-MS in helium KED mode (the cell gas flow rate was 4.8 and

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Update history

The five most recent substantive edits to this page, classified major (evidence or structure moved), correction (a published value or statement was wrong and has been fixed), or minor (narrative rewritten without changing the underlying evidence). Each description is derived from what the edit did to this page; the linked commit is the authoritative record, routine regeneration passes are excluded, and the full version history lives in git. When DOI minting comes online (see schema docs), each entry below will also link to a version-pinned DataCite DOI.

Commit	Date	Change	Description
b01ec52c	2026-08-04	major	2 sections added
d49e450f	2026-08-03	major	5 sections added; narrative text revised