Journal article
Bats as bioindicators of trace element pollution in an industrial estuary
Environmental Pollution, Vol.405, pp.1-8
2026
PMID: 42269753
Abstract
Insectivorous bats are susceptible to environmental pollutants because of their mobility, longevity and trophic position, making them useful sentinels of environmental contamination. Despite their ecological importance and vulnerability, few studies have quantified multi-element exposure in bats inhabiting industrialised estuaries. Here, we compare concentrations of metals and metalloids in fur samples from bats inhabiting natural forest (reference site; n = 29) and an industrial estuary (industrial site; n = 65) in eastern Australia. Of 23 elements analysed, 11 were consistently quantifiable. Variation of trace element concentration was high among species, mostly attributable to site differences. In general, bats sampled from the industrial site had significantly higher concentrations of boron (B), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mb), and strontium (Sr), whereas barium (Ba), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) were higher at the reference site. Collectively, our results demonstrate that bats can reflect fine-scale spatial variation in trace element contamination across industrialised landscapes. Therefore, insectivorous bats have strong value as bioindicators of trace element contamination in industrial areas. Further, as some individuals had concentrations of some trace elements that exceeded thresholds known to cause negative health effects, we also highlight an urgent need to monitor pollutant accumulation in bats and other wildlife inhabiting industrialised zones and assess implications for the health of bats. This evidence is critical for informing conservation strategies and regulatory policies aimed at mitigating environmental contamination.
Details
- Title
- Bats as bioindicators of trace element pollution in an industrial estuary
- Authors
- Clare Stawski (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine CoastBrad Law - New South Wales Department of Primary IndustriesGeorge Madani - University of Newcastle AustraliaTraecey Brassil - New South Wales Department of Primary IndustriesLeroy Gonsalves - New South Wales Department of Primary IndustriesPat Taggart - Bush Heritage AustraliaAnna Lloyd - NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and WaterYarong Li - NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
- Publication details
- Environmental Pollution, Vol.405, pp.1-8
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128528
- ISSN
- 1873-6424
- PMID
- 42269753
- Copyright note
- © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).
- Data Availability
- Our data are available in Appendix A
- Organisation Unit
- K'gari Research Cluster; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991240399402621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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