Abstract
We performed synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF) analysis of Adelie penguin bones, collected in the maritime Antarctic. This method enabled us to determine the microscopic concentration profiles of chemical elements in transverse bone sections. Results show that: (1) there are different concentration profiles for elements in the bones; (2) the inter-correlation of elements in the bones is complex; (3) some trace elements, including toxic ones like Rb, Sr, Fe, Mn, Cu, Co, Ni, Ti, Zr, Br, As, Hg, and Cr, are also detected somewhere in the cross section of the bones. It is suggested that further studies be conducted to establish an SR-XRF database for polar and non-polar animals. This will be greatly beneficial for characterizing penguins by the microscopic distribution of elements in bone and for the understanding of elements' roles in animal metabolism.
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Acknowledgements
This work was funded by project grant no. 40076032 (the Natural Science Foundation of China), KZCX2-303 (Chinese Academy of Sciences). We thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments to improve the manuscript. Thanks are also sent to Dr. Yuhong Wang for assisting manuscript revision.
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Xie, Z., Sun, L., Long, N. et al. Analysis of the distribution of chemical elements in Adelie penguin bone using synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence. Polar Biol 26, 171–177 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-002-0466-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-002-0466-8