lThis research was supported by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, the Ohio Cooperative Wildlife
Research Unit, and the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
et al., 1970), are well-documented phenomena. Nash and Woolson (1967)find that the
time required for dissipation of one-half of the original amount of DDT applied to agri-
cultural soils ranges from 2.5 to 35 years, depending on rate of application and type of soil.
Dimond et at. (t970) conclude that an upper limit of 35 years is reasonable because
there is not any apparent decline in the DDT residue content of soils, in forests of northern
Maine, within nine years after DDT application.
Dimond and Sherburne (1969a) report residues of DDT in Blarina and Microsorex
which persist for at least nine years following a single treatment of the forest with DDT.
In the same area, residues of DDT in mice and voles decline almost to pretreatment levels
after nine years; hares (Lepus americanus) do not contain significant DDT residues, where-
as mink (MusteIa vision) have less DDT residues (0.5 to 2.6 ppm) than shrews (Dimond
and Sherburne, 1969b), Turner (1965) reports that red-backed voles (Clethrionomys)
from Connecticut forests, contain three to eight ppm DDT-derived residues in their fat;
deermice (Peromyscus) from the same area contain one to two ppm in their fat.
Bandy (1972) and Bandy and Peterle (1972), in a study of bio-accumulation and
transtocation of chlorine-36-1abeled DDT in an old-field ecosystem, report that the
total body storage pattern of Sorex cinereus (shrew) is characterized by rapid accumula-
tion of DDT residues, during the first month after DDT application, followed by sta-
tionary storage levels, during the remainder of the growing season, with a seasonal mean
of 1.1 ppm. Under the same conditions, Blarina brevicauda (shrew) accumulate DDT
residues steadily throughout the growing seaso n, with a seasonal mean total body burden
of 7.4 ppm.
Procedure
Pesticide application. A 4.05-hectare old-field ecosystem, enclosed by a 2.44 me-
ter rodent-proof fence, was treated with 36Cl-ring-labeled DDT (0.92 kg/ha) applied
in granular formulation by helicopter in June, 1969. [For details of the preparation and
application of DDT, see Bandy (1972), and Bandy and Peterle (1972).] The study unit
was located on the Urbana Wildlife Area, Urbana, Ohio.
Sample collection and analysis. Shrews were collected monthly from June through
November, 1970, and from July through November, 1971. Winter specimens were
taken in February of 1971 and 1972. No collections were made from October,
1969, to June, 1970. Shrews were collected from within the treated area, and control
specimens from outside the area. Blarina were taken readily in snap-traps baited with
a mixture of peanut-butter and oatmeal. Sorex were captured in snap-traps and
livetraps set inside the treated area. Control specimens of Sorex were caught primarily in
pitfalls made from quart-size oil cans containing 6 to 8 centimeters of water.
All specimens were kept frozen (-20°C) until the time of sample preparation.
Samples were prepared from Blarina brain, fat, muscle, liver, spleen, kidneys, lungs, skin
Accumulation of Radioactive DDT in Shrew 3
and fur, and heart. Sorex organs, including the gastro intestinal tract (with contentsintact)
were pooled to form a sample of viscera; the remainder of the carcass, minus the head,
feet, and skin, was used for the muscle sample, Thus, Sorex muscle samples included bone
and any adhering fat or glandular deposits. All samples were minced, weighed, and solu-
blized in preparation for liquid scintillation counting, according to the procedure described
by Dindal and Peterle (1967). The samples were counted for 100 minutes in a liquid
scintillation spectrometer, using the gain settings determined by Bandy (1972). [DDT
residues reported here include all known metabolites which retain the radioactive chlorine
in the ring position. Since the procedure does not involve extraction of the residue with a
solvent, it is assumed that 100 percent recovery of radioactive DDT residues is achieved.
For details of the procedure used, see Bandy (1972) and Bandy and Peterle (1972).]
Each shrew was marked by toe-clipping, and by an aluminum leg band (size three,
National Band and Tag Company) which had to be made narrow enough, by filing, to
prevent swelling of the foot. For the purpose of recapturing shrews at the intended times,
each shrew was tagged with a piece of tantalum-182 wire (1 mm x t Omm, 100uCi), heat
sealed inside a length of nylon tubing, and placed under the skin of the infra-scapular
region by means of a modified hypodermic needle (Kaye, 1961). It was necessary to
anesthetize shrews for installation of the wire tag. Shrews were held for observation for
24 hours following the tagging operation.
The shrews were located by means of a GM field survey meter (Model No. 2612,
Nuclear Chicago) mounted on the end of a 2.7 meter aluminum pole. During the evening
of August 14, 1971, six tantalum tagged shrews were released at each of four sites inside
the DDT-treated area.
Results
Seasonal trends of DDT residues in Blarina and Sorex tissues. Storage patterns of
DDT in Blarina tissues are shown in Fig. 1. During the summer of DDT application,
DDT residues in liver, muscle, and brain reached peak levels. Liver and muscle attained
maximum levels in August, 1969, and declined through October. Brain continued to in-
crease in DDT residue content following treatment, until October.
In 1970 and 1971, maximum DDT residues in liver and muscle coincided and occurred
in November of each year. In 1970, the November peaks of residues in liver and muscle
declined, by February, 1971, to the previous levels; however, the residue peaks at tained in
4 D.J. Forsyth et al.
240 P~
220
200
180
160
/
140
a
r~ ®
E
c~ 120
100
813
. L j
60
40
20! ¢, " ,
. ~ o o.H/
_ I t I,, l t t l I el t i I l I i I ~ ~ I ~ l J I °~ I ] I
J ASONDJ FMAMJ J ASONDJ FMAMJ J ASONDJ F
1969 1970 1971
TIME SINCE DDT APPLICATION
Fig. 1. Seasonal storage patterns of DDT in Blarina fat, liver, brain, and muscle:
® - - ~ , subcutaneous fat (N = 49); o 0, liver (N = 74); e ~ e brain (N = 7 5 ) ; 0 - - - 0 ,
muscle (N = 80); most points represent means of four samples; some points represent means
of two, three, or five samples; curves are e y e - f i t t e d
Accumulation of Radioactive DDT in Shrew 5
these tissues, in November, 1971, did not return to the levels present during the previous
summer. Liver DDT residues declined from 16.2 ppm in November, 1971, to 12.2 ppm,
by February, 1972, but the change was not statistically significant (Student's t-test,
P > 0.05). The DDT residue burden of muscle declined significantly (P < 0.0t) between
November, 1971, and February, 1972, but it remained, as it did in liver, significantly
greater than the levels of the previous summer.
Brain residues of DDT rose to a maximum of 6.9 ppm in August, 1970, and they did
not decline significantly until November of that year. The second peak attained by the
residue in brain tissue occurred in November, 1971, and coincided with the peaks found
for muscle, liver, and subcutaneous fat during the same month.
DDT residue data for subcutaneous fat in 1969 are available (Bandy 1972) for two
Blarina - one contained 579.0 ppm DDT residue, eight days after application of DDT, and
one contained 161.2 ppm, 29 days after application. During 1970 and 1971, subcutaneous
fat reached two peaks in DDT residue content. In 1970, a maximum DDT residue level
of 243.0 ppm occurred in fat during August, the level being significantly greater than the
June and July values (P < 0.05) and greater than the September and October values
(P < 0.01). In 1971, maximum DDT residue levels were attained in fat during November,
when the mean residue content was 235.6 ppm. The peak residue level of November, 1971,
was significantly greater (P < 0.01) than the level in October, and greater than the DDT
residue content present in February, 1972; levels in February were greater (P < 0.05) than
those of October, 1971.
15
--9 o
8
7
6
-~ 4 - A,'!
8' 3
I-
D 2 ® ®
tn
E
O.
~®
a I J n I I I I i i I I I I I I I I I I , ~ I J l L I I 1
Fig. 2 shows storage patterns of DDT residue in Sorex tissues. Highest residue levels
in Sorex muscle were reached in February of 1971 (7.9 +- 2.3 ppm) and 1972 (6.7 + 1.1
ppm) but only the peak in February, 1972, was significantly higher than summer levels
(P < 0.01). The DDT residue content of viscera increased significantly (P < 0.05) to a peak
of only 6.4 ppm, in February, 1972. DDT residue levels, in 1970 and 1971, were higher
than the levels present in 1969, the year of treatment with DDT.
2 50 o o'.
(O) N = 8
(°) Ikl = 23 " ( . ) N = 23""
I I I I I .... 1, ,,I I I I I i i
15
S 1sf " "
010/ .q •
1- :>-" . . . . . . t ,o
| 8.,,,;'f.8
". "
5
I/D ..: 10) N = 9 .
/, , , . N=23
I/ - "- (')N=23
n t' 1 I i I l I t
- 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Residues of DDT in the muscle, liver, fat, and brain of the nine recaptured shrews are
plotted in Fig. 3. Residues found in resident shrews, which were captured in the study
area during attempts to recapture the released shrews, are plotted for comparison.
The DDT residue content of brain (Fig. 3a) from five shrews exposed to the study
area for seven and eight days ranged from 1.7 to 3.9 ppm. After 15 days, one shrew brain
contained 2.0 ppm of residue, while the other contained 5.4 ppm after 17 days. Brain
tissues of released shrews showed accumulated levels of DDT comparable to those present
in resident shrews within 17 days. The brain of the shrew exposed for 66 days contained
4.4 ppm DDT residue.
DDT residues in fat (Fig. 3b) from sk shrews exposed to the study area for seven and
eight days ranged from 29.3 to 57.8 ppm. The fat of tile shrew exposed to the study area
for 15 days contained 78.2 ppm, compared to 55.1 ppm present in the fat of the shrew
exposed for 17 days. After 17 days exposure, the DDT residue content of fat in released
shrews was as great as, or greater than, amounts present in fat of some resident animals but
the amount appeared to be still increasing. After 66 days, the fat of the released shrew
contained 164.0 ppm DDT residue.
Six shrews exposed to the study area for seven and eight days had accumulated residues
of DDT in the liver (Fig. 3c) ranging from 3.3 to 6.9 ppm. The shrew exposed for 15 days
contained 5.2 and another, after 17 days, contained 11.1 ppm DDT residue in its liver.
Within 17 days, the DDT residue content in liver tissue of released shrews decreased to
within the range of the DDT residue levels present in resident shrews. After 66 days in
the study area, the liver of one released shrew contained 10.0 ppm DDT residue.
The DDT residue content of muscle (Fig. 3d) from six shrews exposed to the study
are~ for seven and eight days ranged from 4.1 to 6,1 ppm. The shrew exposed for 15
days had accumulated 5.8 ppm residue in its muscle, compared to 8.0 ppm in the muscle
of the shrew recaptured after 17 days exposure. Although the DDT residue content of
muscle from the shrew exposed for 17 days was comparable to amounts contained in
muscle of resident shrews, muscle residue levels seemed to be increasing to the level of
t2.8 ppm attained by the shrew exposed for 66 days.
Storage of DDT residue in Blarina and Sorex in relation to sex. Sixteen Blarina and
21 Sorex captured within a period of seven days (August 28 to September 3, 1971). dur-
ing the effort aimed at retrieving tantalum-tagged Blarina, were analyzed for DDT residue
content, for a comparison between sexes. The results are included in Tables I and II.
Although muscle, brain, liver, and fat from female Blarina have greater mean levels of
DDT residue than the corresponding tissues from males (Table I), the only statistically sig-
nificant difference between means (P < 0.05) is in liver. The DDT residue content (mean
-+ S.E.) of liver in females is 11.0 + 1.8 ppm, compared to 6.4 + 1.1 ppm in liver of
C~
T a b l e I. Comparison of the Amount of DDT Residues in Tissues o f Male and Female Blarina a
D D T residue c o n t e n t , p p m
Statistical
Sex evaluation Muscle Liver Brain Fat
males. The DDT residue content of viscera in male and female Sorex is approximately 3
ppm, compared to 4 ppm in the muscle. No statistically significant differences occur in
residue levels between male and female Sorex.
When collections of males and females for 1970 and 1971 are combined (including
those collected August 28 to September 3, 1971) for comparison of sexes in Blarina
(Table I), the DDT residue levels in the organs of males and females are very similar.
Comparison of the t w o - s e a s o n collection to the A u g u s t - S e p t e m b e r collection of 1971
show that DDT residues in female Blarina of the t 971 collection are very similar to
those of both sexes in the two year collection, whereas mate residues are lower. Male
Sorex do not demonstrate any lower levels in either collection.
Breeding condition of Sorex apparently influence DDT residue burdens (Table II).
Male Sorex with abdominal testes contain significantly greater amounts of DDT residue
in muscle (P < 0.01) and in viscera (P < 0.05) than do males with scrotal testes. Similarly,
nonlactating females contain more DDT in muscle and viscera than do lactating females
but the differences are not statistically significant.
Discussion
Seasonal trends of DDT residues in Blarina and Sorex tissues. The immediate im-
pression obtained from Fig. 1 is that DDT residue content of Blarina fat, muscle, liver,
and brain did not diminish during the two years following application of DDT, and un-
derwent remarkably similar seasonal variation both years. During the collecting seasons of
1970 and 1971, subcutaneous fat contained two statistically significant maximum, and
minimum, levels of DDT residue. The maximum of 243.0 ppm in 1970 occurred in August,
whereas the maximum of 236.0 ppm in 1971 occurred in November. The minimum in
1970 occurred in September and October (89.7 and 65.6 ppm, respectively); the 1971
minimum of 69.0 ppm occurred in October.
Muscle and liver residue-storage patterns were similar and produced peaks in November
of 1970 and 1971, regardless of the fluctuations in fat storage. This suggests that the DDT
residue content of liver and muscle possibly is independent of the amount stored in fat.
In contrast, brain levels of DDT residue increased in August, 1970, and November, 1971,
when the DDT content of fat increased, suggesting that brain levels of DDT residue are
related to the amount present in fat.
The similarity in patterns of DDT residue storage in muscle and liver suggests that
their DDT content depends upon a common factor. This factor possibly is the physio-
logical changes associated with the onset of winter conditions in November. Under the
stress of winter conditions, DDT residue is mobilized from the fat, resulting in higher cir-
culating levels and, therefore, greater amounts of DDT residue in the liver and muscle.
Alternatively, the lipid content of liver and muscle possibly increases in November, re-
sulting in greater DDT residues regardless of the amount present in subcutaneous fat.
There is evidence that increased intake of DDT induces an increase in lipid content of
liver in rats (Ortega et al. 1956) and in cowbirds (Stickel and Stickel 1968). If this is the
case in Blarina, a significant increase in DDT residue content of liver should have occurred
in August, 1970, the period of peak DDT residue storage in fat during the 1970 growing
season.
According to Randolph (1971), the metabolic rate of Blarina is greater in winter than
in summer and there is a corresponding increase of 43 percent in food requirement during
winter. Such an increase in food consumption should necessitate an increase in DDT in-
take but at least two factors can influence the amount of DDT accumulated: 1) the
rate of excretion of DDT "in winter should be greater than in summer because of
higher metabolic activity and 2) food species available in winter would differ from sum-
Accumulation of Radioactive DDT in Shrew 11
mer food and could contain m o r e - or less DDT residues than summer food. Eadie (1948)
reports the food types present in scats (dung) of Blarina from November through
March. In each month, insects of all types form the highest frequency percentage.
Annetids are more common in November scats than in those of the subsequent four
months. Sorex cinereus remains are present in scats of November, December, and
February, being most abundant in December. Earthworms and slugs are known to
accumulate high amounts of DDT residue (Davis 1968, Davis and French 1969, Gish
1970). Bandy (1972) reports a mean residue level of 18.9 ppm DDT residue in slugs
during the 1969 growing season at the Urbana study area. No information is avail-
able regarding DDT residue content of earthworms from the Urbana study area. Cool,
wet weather in October and November o ( 1 9 7 0 and 1971 produced an abundance of
earthworms on the surface of the ground, a phenomenon which could have contributed
to the increased DDT residue content of Blarina fat in November, 1970 (not statistically
significant) and at least, partially to the increase in November, 1971. A more reasonable
explanation of the August, 1970, and November, 1971, peaks in DDT residue content
of fat relates to the slug populations. In 1970, slugs were much easier to collect in July
and August than in the fall whereas, in 1971, not any slugs could be found throughout
the summer but they became extremely abundant in November and December. If slugs
form a significant part of the diet of Blarina, as has been reported (Hamilton 1930, Rudge
1968), the two peaks in DDT residue content of fat (Fig. 1) possibly are primarily due
to consumption of slugs.
The minimum levels of DDT residue in fat, which occurred in October of 1970 and
1971, possibly were caused by a common factor, such as an abundant food species which
was low in DDT residue content.
The trends in storage of DDT residue in Sorex muscle, which are evident in Fig. 2,
suggest that the DDT levels were increasing from year to year, and that DDT levels
tended to increase in February of 1971 and 1972. Viscera residues show an increase from
1969 to 1970 and 197t, but not from 1970 to 1971. The tendency to increase in
February, as seen in muscle, is evident in the viscera data for February, 1972.
It is possible that Sorex accumulated more DDT residue in February than during the
summer and fall because, like Btarina, their metabolic rate probably increases under
winter conditions. Such an increase would result in increased food and, consequently, DDT
residue intake. In Sorex (which ranged in weight from two to four grams), DDT residues
.could have reached particularly high levels in winter if the animals spent part of their
time in a state of torpor, to conserve body heat.
The tendency for DDT residue levels in Sorex muscle to accumulate to greater levels,
from year to year, was not expected because the amount of DDT available to shrews
(Blarina) was apparently stable in 1970 and 1971 (Fig. 1). A trend of increasing burdens
12 D.J. Forsyth et al.
from year to year in Sorex is not consistent with results obtained from Blarina. Woodwell
and Martin (1964) report increased soil levels of DDT residues, two to three years after
application, apparently as the result of slow release of DDT from foliage of a coniferous
forest in New Brunswick. Possibly, DDT became more available to food species of Sorex
which were not eaten by Blarina, during 1970 and 1971.
The possibility of age structure of the shrew population influencing DDT residue
storage patterns is suggested by Bandy (1972). It is proposed that a preponderance of
young animals, having had less time of exposure to DDT than older animals, dilutes the
apparent DDT content of the population, at a given time of sampling: a preponderance of
older animals tends to raise apparent DDT levels. Amounts of DDT present in Blarina col-
lected in 1970 and 1971 indicate that age and time of exposure probably do not signi-
ficantly influence the storage patterns shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Blarina, ranging in
weight from 12 to 15 grams, often had DDT residues in fat which are as great as, or
greater than, levels found in shrews weighing 16 to 25 grams. Table III shows that the
five smallest Blarina collected in 1970 and 1971 had levels of DDT residue in their fat
ranging from 42.2 to 339.4 ppm, compared to a range of 6.6 to 139.8 ppm in the five
largest shrews of the collection. The rate of accumulation of DDT residue in fat of
Blarina demonstrated by the release experiment (Fig. 3) proves that maximal burdens
of DDT can be accumulated at least within 66 days of exposure and, possibly, as soon
as 20 days.
A pregnant female Sorex, collected August 31, 1971, contained 6.1 ppm DDT in her
muscle, 4.7 ppm in her viscera, and 3.4 ppm in her six embryos. Thus, Sorex can contain
DDT levels at birth equivalent to those of adult animals, which can also be true of
Blarina.
Table IIl. Comparison of DDT Storage in Fat of Small and Large Blarina
DDT Mean
Specimen Body weight, ppm, residue, DDT residue, ppm
number g Sex a in fat in fat (+- S.E.)
aM = mate; F = female.
Accumulation of Radioactive DDT in Shrew 13
One Blarina, which was toe-clipped July 6, 1970, and collected February 8, 1971
(approx. 7 months later), contained 144.0 ppm DDT in its fat. Two Blarina, which were
toe-clipped September 21, 1970, and collected February 6 and 8, 1971 (approx. 4.5
months later), accumulated 61.8 and 125.9 DDT, respectively, in their fat. All three of
these shrews accumulated less DDT residue in their fat than the shrew whose fat con-
tained 164.0 ppm DDT residue after 66 days of exposure to the stucly area, in the release
experiment. The rapid rate of DDT residue accumulation demonstrated by Blarina in the
release experiment indicates that individual variation in DDT residue storage depends
more on the physiological state, ability to compete for certain food items, and food
preferences of shrews, than on age or on time of exposure. Support for the possibility
that DDT intake and retention can vary considerably with individual activity and food
preferences comes from Rood (1958) who states that " . . . shrews showed a great deal of
individuality in their food preferences as well as in their behavior patterns."
Rate of DDT accumulation in Blarina. Information obtained through the release ex-
periment indicates that Blarina rapidly accumulates DDT residue burdens comparable to
those present in resident shrews. In the case of brain (Fig. 3a) and liver (Fig. 3c), the DDT
burden of the shrew, caught 66 days post-release, demonstrates that an equilibrium has,
by that time, been established between intake- and excretion of DDT residue. Fat (Fig.
3b) and muscle (Fig. 3d) residue levels present in the shrew, exposed for 66 days, suggest
continued accumulation. F a t - and muscle residues of resident shrews were below those of
the single shrew recaptured after 66 days.
The plateau levels of DDT residue accumulation shown by brain (Fig. 3a) and liver
(Fig. 3c), which were derived only from the DDT residues accumulated by released
shrews, correspond almost exactly to the levels for these tissues given in Table I ( t w o -
year collection); therefore, they probably represent actual rates of DDT accumulation.
Thus, the broken-line curves shown for fat (Fig. 3b) and muscle (Fig. 3d), which were
drawn from the values in Table I, should be closer to the actual rates of DDT accumula-
tion than the rates represented by the solid-line curves drawn through residue levels ac-
tually obtained from released shrews. It is evident from the curves of Figures 3a through
3d that equilibrium or steady-state levels of DDT residues are attained after approximately
30 days of exposure, in brain and muscle, whereas 40 to 50 days are required in the case
of fat.
Brain tissue of Blarina, in the release experiment does not contain DDT residue burdens
which are proportional to the DDT residue content of subcutaneous fat. It appears that
brain residues reflect the DDT residue content of subcutaneous fat, judging by the seasonal
fluctuations in DDT content of brain and fat of shrews in the study area (Fig. 1). The
shrew exposed for 15 days had 78.2 ppm in its fat and only 2.0 ppm DDT residue in its
brain. The shrew exposed for 17 days had only 55.1 ppm.DDT residue in its fat but had
5.4 ppm in its brain, whereas the shrew exposed for 66 days accumulated 164.0 ppm in its
14 D.J. Forsyth et al.
fat and 4.4 ppm in its brain. One explanation of the variability found when comparing the
brain- and fat burdens of DDT in the shrews released to the study area possibly is that a
stable equilibrium of DDT residue storage in the brain has not been attained by shrews
exposed for up to 17 days.
Storage of DDT in relation to sex in Blarina and Sorex. Durham et al. (1956) in-
vestigated a possible mechanism for greater DDT residue storage in female rats than in
males. They found that feeding of male hormone to females decreased D D T - and DDE
storage in fat, while feeding of female hormone to male rats increased this storage. If male
hormone is the factor which inhibits DDT residue accumulation in rats, it is not apparently
a factor in decreased DDT residue storage by male Blarina. Of the ten males captured
August 28 to September 3, only three had scrotal testes (and presumably greater levels of
male hormone)and, among these, the DDT residue content of the fat was 33.9, 105.4, and
139.8 ppm. The seven with abdominal testes (two ram) contained DDT residues in the fat
ranging from 35.5 to 176.9 ppm. Possibly, males at the time were selecting food with
low DDT content, or were more active and, therefore, were excreting more DDT than
females.
Further evidence that greater capacity to store DDT is not a general characteristic of
female Blarina is obtained from the release experiment. Although significantly greater
amounts of DDT are found in the livers of females in late August and early September,
1971 (Table I), this is not true of the females in the release experiment. Of the six shrews
recaptured after seven to eight days exposure, three were males and three were females.
Livers of females contained 4.9 + 1.0 ppm DDT residue, compared to 5.0 +- 1.0 ppm in
livers of males.
Sorex, like Blarina, do not demonstrate sex differences in accumulation o f DDT. The
breeding condition, however, does apparently influence the amounts of DDT residue
present. Males with scrotal testes and lactating females tend to have lower levels of DDT
residue in muscle and viscera, although these differences are statistically significant only
in males. Greater levels of male hormone possibly result in lower levels of DDT residue but,
as lactating females also tend to have lower levels, both sexes are possibly influenced by
the same factor (such as increased metabolic rate) which can possibly induce greater ex-
cretion of DDT residue.
Implications of DDT storage on survival of Blarina. It has been shown (Dale et al.
1962) that, under the stress of starvation, DDT stored in the fat of rats is mobilized, lead-
ing to increased excretion of DDT residues and increased residue levels in brain, liver,
and kidneys. When DDT levels in the brain reach approximately 35 ppm, tremors and con-
vulsions result (Dale et al. 1963).
Blarina in the Urbana study area which died in livetraps, under conditions of physio-
logical stress including starvation and shock, had mean (+- S.E.) brain levels of 7.8 +- 0.6
Accumulation of Radioactive DDT in Shrew 15
ppm DDT residue, compared to 6.0 -+ 1.3 ppm in brains of shrews taken in snaptraps dur-
ing the same month (September, 1970). Even though fat reserves are notably depleted and
livers are slightly reduced in size among shrews dying in livetraps, it is apparent that any
DDT residue mobilized from fat is excreted or redistributed to organs other than the brain
of such animals. Liver residues of live-trapped shrews average 16.1 -+ 5.8 ppm, compared
to 8.4 + 2.7 ppm in snaptrapped shrews but the difference is not statistically significant.
Gilbert (1969) reports that total blood counts decrease in ranch mink fed very low
quantities of DDT which, he believes, indicates pesticide-induced stress. Gilbert suggests
that this stressed state makes the mink more susceptible to other stressor agents, such as
cold or reproduction. In support of this statement, Gilbert cites Aurlerich e t al. (1968),
who report death among mink fed DDT under extreme cold stress, and Morris (1968) who
finds that mean survival time of deer mice at 0°F decreases with an increase in endrin dose.
Brown (1953) reports that DDD-treated rats are unable to maintain their body tempera-
ture on exposure to cold, which Fregly et al. (1968) believes is most likely a result of re-
duced thyroid function.
In the present study, it does not appear that storage of DDT residues by Blarina af-
fected survival of winter conditions in the field because three of the four specimens col-
lected in February, had been marked the previous July or September, and carried DDT
residue burdens in their fat ranging from 61.8 to 144.0 ppm.
The effects of DDT on reproduction of mammals are not well documented and results
of the few studies reported are not consistent. Decreased survival of suckling rats
(Fitzhugh 1948)and laboratory mice (Deichmann and Keplinger 1966), decreased fertility
of female laboratory mice (Ware and Good 1967), and increased in utero loss of mink
embryos (Gilbert t969) all are described as effects of DDT feeding. Ottoboni (1969)ois
unable to produce any of these effects in rats but reports that a 200 ppm DDT diet results
in a significant increase in the occurrence of ringtail. It seems unlikely that DDT storage
had any effect on reproduction of Btarina at the Urbana study area. Shrew populations
seem to be denser inside the DDT-treated enclosure, possibly as a result of decreased dis-
persat (Gentry 1968). Another factor related to population density, which might have
been affected by storage of DDT residue in shrews, is aggression. Peterle and Peterte (1971)
report that feeding of 7 ppm DDT in the diet of laboratory mice causes a significant de-
crease in aggression. Laboratory studies are required to establish whether or not DDT af-
fects aggressive behavior in Blarina.
References