Tissue composition and storage duration affect the usefulness of generic wet-to-dry mass conversion factors in toxicology studies

All ecosystems are exposed to a variety of anthropogenic contaminants. The potential threat posed by these contaminants to organisms has prompted scores of toxicology studies. Contaminant concentrations in wildlife toxicology studies are inconsistently expressed in wet or dry mass units, or even on a lipid-normalized basis, but tissue composition is rarely reported, and the conversion between dry and wet mass units, notably, is often based on assumed empirical moisture contents in tissues. However, diverse factors (e.g., tissue, storage conditions) may affect tissue composition and render comparisons between studies difficult or potentially biased. Here, we used data on the concentration of mercury, a global pollutant, in tissues of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) to quantify the effects of diverse variables on moisture and lipid contents, and their consequences on contaminant concentration in different tissues, when converting between wet and dry mass units (lipid extracted or not). We found that moisture content differed largely between organs, enough to preclude the use of a single conversion factor, and decreased by 1% per year when stored at -80 degrees C. Although most fox tissues had low lipid concentrations, lipid content affected water content and their extraction affected the wet to dry mass conversion factor. We thus recommend reporting tissue composition (at least water and lipid contents) systematically in toxicology studies of mercury specifically and of contaminants in general, and using tissue/species specific conversion factors to convert between dry and wet mass concentration.

Automated summary

All ecosystems face anthropogenic contaminants, leading to numerous toxicology studies. Inconsistencies in expressing contaminant concentrations in wet or dry mass units and the lack of reporting tissue composition render cross-study comparisons challenging. This study explored the effects of variables on moisture and lipid contents in red fox tissues and their consequence on contaminant concentrations when converting between wet and dry mass units. Recommendations include systematic reporting of tissue composition and the use of tissue/species specific conversion factors.