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Sartorius A, Johnson MF, Young S, Bennett M, Baiker K, Edwards P, Yon L. Trace metal accumulation through the environment and wildlife at two derelict lead mines in Wales. Heliyon 2024; 10:e34265. [PMID: 39082009 PMCID: PMC11284397 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 07/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Trace metal pollution is globally widespread, largely resulting from human activities. Due to the persistence and high toxicity of trace metals, these pollutants can have serious effects across ecosystems. However, few studies have directly assessed the presence and impact of trace metal pollution across ecosystems, specifically across multiple environmental sources and animal taxa. This study was designed to assess the environmental health impacts of trace metal pollution by assessing its extent and possible transfer into wildlife in the areas surrounding two abandoned metalliferous mine complexes in Wales in the UK. Water, sediment, and soil at the mine sites and in areas downstream had notably elevated concentrations of Pb, Zn, and, to a lesser extent, Cd and Cu, when compared to nearby control sites. These high trace metal concentrations were mirrored in the body burdens of aquatic invertebrates collected in the contaminated streams both at, and downstream of, the mines. Wood mice collected in contaminated areas appeared to be able to regulate their Zn and Cu tissue concentrations, but, when compared to wood mice from a nearby control site, they had significantly elevated concentrations of Cd and, particularly, Pb, detected in their kidney, liver, and bone samples. The Pb concentrations found in these tissues correlated strongly with local soil concentrations (kidney: ρ = 0.690; liver: ρ = 0.668, bone: ρ = 0.649), and were potentially indicative of Pb toxicity in between 10 % and 82 % of the rodents sampled at the mine sites and in areas downstream. The high trace metal concentrations found in the environment and in common prey species (invertebrates and rodents) indicates that trace metal pollution can have far-reaching, ecosystem-wide health impacts long after the polluting activity has ceased, and far beyond the originating site of the pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Sartorius
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK
| | | | - Scott Young
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK
| | - Malcolm Bennett
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK
| | - Kerstin Baiker
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK
| | | | - Lisa Yon
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK
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Čadková Z, Vořechovská L, Javorská D, Száková J, Tlustoš P. The oral bioavailability of soil-borne risk elements for small terrestrial mammals: Microtus arvalis (Pallas, 1778) and Apodemus sylvaticus L. and its implication in environmental studies. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:62397-62409. [PMID: 36943558 PMCID: PMC10167179 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-26437-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The aims of this study were (i) to specify real risk elemetnt (RE) uptake by wild terresrial mammals (A. sylvaticus and M. arvalis), (ii) to describe RE distribution in critical organs such as the liver and kidney, and (iii) to determine potencial differences in RE toxicokinetics with regards to individual species or sex. Three groups of experimental animals were fed diets amended with soil and green biomass of hyperaccumulator Arabidopsis halleri with different RE levels. The contents of As, Cd, and Pb in the liver and kidneys of the animals reflected the element contents in the diet. Higher Cd and Pb accumulation ability was observed in A. sylvaticus compared to M. arvalis tissues, and an opposite pattern was recorded for As. Zn contents in tissues of both species remained unchanged, and total contents of Zn in the exposed animals even tended to decrease compared to the controls. Results of this study indicate a generally similar response of both species to elevated RE contents in the diet, confirming these wild rodents as suitable models for RE biomonitoring in ecosystems. However, our data highlights some distinction in As toxicokinetics in wood mice compared to that of field voles and a significantly higher accumulation of Pb and Cd in females. Therefore, factors of species and sex should not be overlooked if relevant data are to be obtained in environmental studies conducted on small terrestrial rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Čadková
- Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 21, Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Lenka Vořechovská
- Department of Agroenvironmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 21, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Denisa Javorská
- Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 21, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Jiřina Száková
- Department of Agroenvironmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 21, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Tlustoš
- Department of Agroenvironmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 21, Prague 6, Czech Republic
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Tifarouine L, Boutahar L, Benabbou A, Rguibi Idrissi H, Bouarakia O, Benmokhtar S, El Abidi A, Fekhaoui M, Benhoussa A. Evaluation of bioconcentration of trace elements in the Western Mediterranean mouse Mus spretus at two Moroccan wetland sites. Biologia (Bratisl) 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11756-022-01110-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Mukhacheva SV, Sozontov AN. Long-term Dynamics of Small Mammal Communities in the Period of Reduction of Copper Smelter Emissions: 2. β-Diversity. RUSS J ECOL+ 2021. [DOI: 10.1134/s1067413621060084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Tifarouine L, Aziz F, El Abidi A, Hichami N, Benmokhtar S, Badaoui B, Rguibi Idrissi H, Fekhaoui M, Benhoussa A. Influence of age on the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in Apodemus sylvaticus at Merja Zerga lagoon, Morocco. Saudi J Biol Sci 2018; 26:1682-1688. [PMID: 31762644 PMCID: PMC6864294 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2018.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The influence of age and sex on the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in Apodemus sylvaticus was studied in Merja Zerga lagoon in northern Morocco. Five trace metal elements (Zn, Pb, Cr, Cu and Fe) were quantitatively analyzed by Varian AA 240 atomic absorption spectroscopy with graphite furnace in three organs (Liver, Kidney and Heart) from animals of different age and sex. The maximum metal level of the analyzed samples was recorded in adults and was limited to 46.62 μg/g for Pb and 35.1 μg/g for Cu, while it reached 22.69 μg/g, 7.59 μg/g and 6.78 μg/g for Cr, Zn and Fe, respectively. Highly significant differences were found for bioaccumulation of heavy metals according to animal ages and no significant differences were observed between the two sexes among the studied animals. Our results revealed also the existence of a strong correlation (r > 0.65) between the majority of biometric parameters and the trace element concentrations. In general, we found that age is a critical factor in estimating the level of heavy metal pollution. Other characteristics such as habitat, feeding habits and anti-predator behavior of the species need to be studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loubna Tifarouine
- Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, Biodiversity and Environment Center, Biodiversity-Ecology and Genome Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Faissal Aziz
- Laboratory of Hydrobiology, Ecotoxicology, Sanitation and Global Change (LHEAC, URAC33), Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Marrakech, Morocco
| | - Abdallah El Abidi
- National Institute of Health, Department of Toxicology, Health Ministry, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Nawal Hichami
- Laboratry of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (BioDEcos), Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Marrakech, Morocco
| | - Salma Benmokhtar
- Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, Biodiversity and Environment Center, Biodiversity-Ecology and Genome Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Bouabid Badaoui
- Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, Biodiversity and Environment Center, Biodiversity-Ecology and Genome Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Hamid Rguibi Idrissi
- Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, Biodiversity and Environment Center, Biodiversity-Ecology and Genome Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Mohamed Fekhaoui
- Scientific Institute, Zoological Laboratory, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Abdelaziz Benhoussa
- Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, Biodiversity and Environment Center, Biodiversity-Ecology and Genome Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco
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Ozaki S, Fritsch C, Valot B, Mora F, Cornier T, Scheifler R, Raoul F. Does pollution influence small mammal diet in the field? A metabarcoding approach in a generalist consumer. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:3700-3713. [PMID: 30069953 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2017] [Revised: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Mammals are mainly exposed to trace metals (TMs) via consuming contaminated food. Several studies have demonstrated relationships between metal concentrations in food and in animal tissues. However, potential effects of TMs on feeding behaviour of wildlife have been poorly documented under field conditions, despite experimental evidence showing that food selection is impacted by resource contamination. Here, we test the hypothesis that the diet of a generalist rodent, the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), is altered by soil TM contamination in the field. Wood mice were sampled in spring and in autumn along a gradient of soil contamination in the surroundings of a former smelter located in northern France. Available resources in the field were inventoried, and the diet of the animals was analysed using DNA "metabarcoding." We demonstrated that (a) relationship between the resource richness in the diet and their richness in the field was altered by soil metal contamination. Wood mice specialized their diet along the gradient of soil metal contamination for both plant and invertebrate resources in spring. We also showed that (b) preference for Salicaceae, a plant family accumulating metals, decreased when soil contamination increased. These results suggest that environmental TM pollution could act as a force modulating trophic interactions in terrestrial food webs, thereby affecting wildlife exposure to contaminants by trophic route.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinji Ozaki
- Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR CNRS 6249 UsC INRA, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon Cedex, France
| | - Clémentine Fritsch
- Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR CNRS 6249 UsC INRA, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon Cedex, France
| | - Benoit Valot
- Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR CNRS 6249 UsC INRA, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon Cedex, France
| | - Frédéric Mora
- Conservatoire Botanique National de Franche-Comté, Observatoire Régional des Invertébrés, Besançon, France
| | - Thierry Cornier
- Centre Régional de Phytosociologie Agréé Conservatoire Botanique National de Bailleul, Bailleul, France
| | - Renaud Scheifler
- Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR CNRS 6249 UsC INRA, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon Cedex, France
| | - Francis Raoul
- Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR CNRS 6249 UsC INRA, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon Cedex, France
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Czech T, Gambuś F, Wieczorek J. Mathematical forecasting methods for predicting lead contents in animal organs on the basis of the environmental conditions. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2014; 110:232-8. [PMID: 25262112 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2014.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2014] [Revised: 09/03/2014] [Accepted: 09/05/2014] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The main objective of this study was to determine and describe the lead transfer in the soil-plant-animal system in areas polluted with this metal at varying degrees, with the use of mathematical forecasting methods and data mining tools contained in the Statistica 9.0 software programme. The starting point for the forecasting models comprised results derived from an analysis of different features of soil and plants, collected from 139 locations in an area covering 100km(2) around a lead-zinc ore mining and processing plant ('Boleslaw'), at Bukowno in southern Poland. In addition, the lead content was determined in the tissues and organs of 110 small rodents (mainly mice) caught in the same area. The prediction models, elaborated with the use of classification algorithms, forecasted with high probability the class (range) of pollution in animal tissues and organs with lead, based on various soil and plant properties of the study area. However, prediction models which use multilayer neural networks made it possible to calculate the content of lead (predicted versus measured) in animal tissues and organs with an excellent correlation coefficient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Czech
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. A. Mickiewicz 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland.
| | - Florian Gambuś
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. A. Mickiewicz 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
| | - Jerzy Wieczorek
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. A. Mickiewicz 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
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Tête N, Durfort M, Rieffel D, Scheifler R, Sánchez-Chardi A. Histopathology related to cadmium and lead bioaccumulation in chronically exposed wood mice, Apodemus sylvaticus, around a former smelter. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2014; 481:167-177. [PMID: 24594745 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.02.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2013] [Revised: 01/30/2014] [Accepted: 02/07/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The ceasing of industrial activities often reduces the emission of pollutants but also often leaves disturbed areas without remediation and with persistent pollutants that can still be transferred along the food chain. This study examines the potential relationships between non-essential trace metals and histopathology in target tissues of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) collected along a gradient of contamination around the former smelter, Metaleurop Nord (northern France). Cadmium and lead concentrations were measured, and histological alterations attributable to chronic trace metal exposure were assessed in the liver and the kidneys of 78 individuals. Metal concentrations quantified in the present study were among the highest observed for this species. Some histological alterations significantly increased with Cd or Pb concentrations in the soil and in the organs. Sixteen mice from polluted sites were considered at risk for metal-induced stress because their Cd and/or Pb tissue concentrations exceeded the LOAELs for single exposure to these elements. These mice also exhibited a higher severity of histological alterations in their organs than individuals with lower metal burdens. These results indicate that the Metaleurop smelter, despite its closure in 2003, still represents a threat to the local ecosystem because of the high levels and high bioavailability of Cd and Pb in the soil. However, among the mice not considered at risk for metal-induced stress based on the metal levels in their tissues, a large percentage of individuals still exhibited histological alterations. Thus, the present study suggests that the evaluation of toxic effects based only on the LOAELs for single metal exposure may result in the underestimation of the real risks when specimens are exposed to multiple stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Tête
- Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR 6249 University of Franche-Comté/CNRS Usc INRA, 16 route de Gray, F-25030 Besançon Cedex, France.
| | - Mercè Durfort
- Departament de Biologia Cellular, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal-643, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Dominique Rieffel
- Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR 6249 University of Franche-Comté/CNRS Usc INRA, 16 route de Gray, F-25030 Besançon Cedex, France
| | - Renaud Scheifler
- Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR 6249 University of Franche-Comté/CNRS Usc INRA, 16 route de Gray, F-25030 Besançon Cedex, France
| | - Alejandro Sánchez-Chardi
- Servei de Microscopia, Facultat de Ciencies, Ed. C, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, E-08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Departament de Biologia Animal, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat Barcelona, Av. Diagonal-643, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
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