Chemosphere 282 (2021) 131022 Available online 28 May 2021 0045-6535/© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Multiresidues of environmental contaminants in bats from Turkey Ozgur Kuzukiran a , Ilker Simsek a , Tarkan Yorulmaz b , Begum Yurdakok-Dikmen c , Ozcan Ozkan d , Ayhan Filazi c, * a Eldivan Vocational School of Health Services, Cankiri Karatekin University, Eldivan, Cankiri, Turkey b Hunting and Wildlife Program, Department of Forestry, Yaprakli Vocational School, Cankiri Karatekin University, Cankiri, Turkey c Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, Turkey d Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Cankiri Karatekin University, Cankiri, Turkey A R T I C L E INFO Handling Editor: Magali Houde Keywords: Environmental pollution Myotis myotis Organic contaminant Pesticides Pipistrellus pipistrellus ABSTRACT Bat populations have been steadily declining, most likely because of anthropogenic factors. Identifcation and classifcation of these risks have crucial importance in ensuring the survival of this species. Bats often coexist with humans in urban, industrial, and agricultural areas and are potentially exposed to a range of environmental pollutants. Two bat species widely distributed in Turkey were selected, and the residues of pesticides and organic contaminants in their carcasses were analyzed using: gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Species and sex specifc differences were evaluated along with their potential to be used as bioindicators. During the rigor mortis period, 23 adult Pipistrellus pipistrellus (11 female and 12 male) and 19 adult Myotis myotis (9 female and 10 male) were collected and 322 contaminants (pesticides and organic contaminants) were analyzed in whole carcasses of bats by using a validated method. Multiple pesticides and organic contaminants were detected in all collected 42 bats. The most frequent contamination was detected as 4,4-DDE, followed by ethoprophos, qui- nalphos, methidation, paraoxon-methyl, phosalone and tetramethrin. The least common compounds were as follows: 2,4-DDD, endrin, HCH-alpha, fenamiphos sulfoxide, parathion ethyl, bitertanol, oxycarboxin, procy- midone, fuazifop-butyl, trifuralin, bifenazate, DMF, fenpyroximate, PBDE-47, benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(b) fuoranthene, and benzo(g,h,i) perylene; of these only one was found in each bat. In terms of frequency and concentration, there was no signifcant difference between species and sex. An average of 26.1 pollutants was found in each bat. Thus, it was concluded that bats can be used as potential bioindicators in determining environmental pollution. 1. Introduction Bats are the second-largest mammalian order in the world after ro- dents, with approximately 1400 species accounting for about 20% of all known mammals (Yorulmaz and Arslan, 2020). They are included in the order Chiroptera, and are naturally equipped to fy once their front legs evolve into wings. Body weights can range from about 1.5 to 2 g (bumblebee bat, Craseonycteris thonglongyai) to 1 kg (fying fox, Pteropus species) depending on the species, with wingspans over 1.5 m (Altringham, 2011). Bats usually give birth to one or rarely two pups a year. These pups are large at birth and suckle for a few weeks, till their body measure- ments are equal to that of the mothers (EFSA Panel, 2019). Compared to small mammals (rodents or shrews) that live in the ground, bats have considerably longer lifespans (average 15–41 years), which is a function of genetic, physiological, and environmental factors, along with ecological variables (Foley et al., 2018). The ability of bats to fy long distances allows them to feed on airborne insects at high altitudes (Voigt et al., 2018). In ecological terms, bats perform many important and basic tasks such as pollination, seed dispersal, and insect control (EFSA Panel, 2019). Bats consume a large number of harmful insects and other or- ganisms, resulting in major agricultural benefts (Russo et al., 2018). The loss of agricultural products caused by the decline of insectivorous bat populations has been estimated to cost billions of dollars in North America alone (Charbonnier et al., 2021). Studies report that bat * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: ozgurkuzukiran@hotmail.com (O. Kuzukiran), ilkers@karatekin.edu.tr (I. Simsek), tyorulmaz@karatekin.edu.tr (T. Yorulmaz), byurdakok@ yahoo.com (B. Yurdakok-Dikmen), ozcanozkan@karatekin.edu.tr (O. Ozkan), flazi@veterinary.ankara.edu.tr (A. Filazi). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Chemosphere journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/chemosphere https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131022 Received 15 March 2021; Received in revised form 7 May 2021; Accepted 24 May 2021