Presence of micronuclei and nuclear abnormalities in Caracara (Polyborus) plancus living in an airport area in southern Brazil

ABSTRACT

The aviation sector is believed to be responsible for considerable environmental damage attributed to emission of a large number and amount of pollutants. Airports are often surrounded by forest fragments and humid areas that attract birds of prey and hence may potentially serve as useful bioindicators. The aim of the present study was to examine genotoxic potential in raptors exposed to airport pollution using the micronucleus (MN) test and morphological changes as evidenced by bilateral symmetry. This investigation was conducted at Salgado Filho International Airport of Porto Alegre – RS as well as in private and zoological breeding grounds. The presence of metals was measured in the blood cells of the collected birds. Seventeen birds (Caracara (Polyborus) plancus) were used in this study 11 from exposed and 6 from non-exposed group. The nuclear alterations clearly indicate that organisms exposed to airport pollution exhibited a significantly higher frequency of genetic damage compared to non-exposed birds. Further, manganese and chromium were detected exclusively in the blood of the exposed group. In contrast, the analysis of bilateral symmetry did not detect any significant morphologic differences between the two groups. Therefore, data indicate that blood genotoxic stress occurs in birds of prey living in civil aviation areas as evidenced by MN frequency increase and presence of manganese and chromium.

KEYWORDS:

• Genotoxicity
• bird of prey
• airport pollution
• fluctuating asymmetry
• manganese
• chromium
• micronucleus
• morphology

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Brazilian Agencies Conselho Nacional para o Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS) and Hayabusa Falcoaria e Consultoria Ambiental. Moreover, the authors are grateful to La Salle University for supporting a scholarship to the student who developed this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Da Silva F.R., upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Conselho Nacional para o Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) (Proc. No. 429839/2018-9 - Proc. No. 306010/2018-6).