Perfluorinated compounds in minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and long-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus capensis) from Korean coastal waters.

This is the first study to report the concentrations and accumulation profiles of PFCs in marine mammals from Korea. The concentrations and profiles of 10 PFCs in the liver of minke whales and common dolphins from Korean coastal waters were recorded in this study. The mean concentrations of PFOS and PFUnDA were 3-20 times higher than that found for other PFCs analyzed.

Chlorinated and brominated contaminants including PCBs and PBDEs in minke whales and common dolphins from Korean coastal waters.

Information on the occurrence and distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in marine mammals from Korean coastal waters is not available to date. This is the first study to investigate concentrations and accumulation of PCBs, OCPs, and PBDEs in liver and blubber of minke whales and common dolphins from Korean coastal waters. The concentrations of organochlorines and PBDEs in blubber were several times higher than in liver.

Concentrations and accumulation features of PCDDs, PCDFs and dioxin-like PCBs in cetaceans from Korean coastal waters.

Despite several studies that report accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and DDT in marine mammals worldwide, very few have examined polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like PCBs. In particular, no earlier studies have reported concentrations and accumulation profiles of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in marine mammals from Korea. In this study, concentrations and accumulation features of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs were measured in liver and blubber of minke whales and long-beaked common dolphins collected from Korean coastal waters.

Evolutionary characterization of a highly repetitive sequence identified from the false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens).

We report here that a novel 1,869 bp repetitive sequence identified from the false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) could be a new molecular phylogenetic marker in cetaceans. Results of PCR amplification and southern blot hybridization using 16 species' genomic DNAs from five different families revealed that the repetitive sequence is highly conserved within all Delphinidae species. Notably, specific primers designed for this repetitive sequence effectively amplified the targeted repetitive units, which were critically dependent upon the genetic phylogenies in the members of the Delphinidae cetaceans.