Presence of the neurotoxic amino acids β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) and 2,4-diamino-butyric acid (DAB) in shallow springs from the Gobi Desert

Abstract

The Gobi Desert in Mongolia, home to the critically endangered Gobi bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus), has few water resources for the animals that inhabit this environment. The majority of these water resources are shallow, small bodies of water, from approximately 30 cm to 3 m in diameter. Due to the harsh nature of the Gobi Desert environment, such pools of water are crucial resources for wildlife inhabiting the area and little information is currently available on the presence of organisms, including cyanobacteria, and the toxins they produce within these waters. Drinking water sources and small pools within the Gobi Desert were sampled on two separate occasions in October 2008 and April–May 2009. Samples were assessed for the presence of cyanobacteria; subsamples were taken for the analysis of β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) and 2,4-diaminobutyric acid (DAB). According to LC-MS/MS analyses, both of these neurotoxic amino acids were present in both years and BMAA was present when cyanobacteria were major components of the pools. The results indicate that assessment of cyanotoxins to organisms that live in desert environments is warranted.

Key words::

• BMAA
• DAB
• Gobi Desert
• cyanobacteria
• water resources

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the following members of the Gobi Bear Project Team for their invaluable assistance with this study: Ts. Tuya (UNDP Great Gobi and Its Umbrella Species Project), M. Proctor (Birchdale Ecological), Jenny Ross (Jenny E. Ross Photography), G. Dovchindorj (Great Gobi Special Protected Area Nayambayar, Great Gobi Special Protected Area).

Disclosure of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest and alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.