Features of bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the tissues of the great false horse leech Haemopis sanguisuga L. in aquatic ecosystems of the Urals
L.V. Chernaya, L.A. Kovalchuk, N.V. Mikshevich
Section: Monitoring of natural and anthropogenically disturbed areas
Investigation into intense impact of industrial pollution on the aquatic ecosystems of the Ural region is one of
tasks of environmental monitoring. To estimate peculiarities of the bioaccumulation of Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb in tissues of the leech Haemopis sanguisuga (L., 1758) from aquatic ecosystems of natural and anthropogenically disturbed territories of the Ural have been first studied. The studies were based on the verification of 100 samples of bottom sediments and 100 adults of H. sanguisuga from 10 water bodies of the Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions. The gross contents of Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb in the skin-muscle tissue of leeches and in the bottom sediments were estimated by atomic absorption method on an AAS-3 spectrophotometer and on an Analyst-100 instrument from Perkin Elmer. 800 element determinations were carried out. Еstimated ranges of background concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb for bottom sediments of water bodies of Ural region are determined. It was found that the content of Cu, Cd, Pb in the bottom sediments of water bodies located in anthropogenic disturbed areas is higher than in natural water bodies (p < 0.001), with the exception of Zn (p = 0.929). It is shown that in the tissues of H. sanguisuga individuals living under anthropogenic stress, the content of HM is significantly higher than that of leeches from natural water bodies (p < 0.001). Аnd the level of HM in tissues of leeches is directly related to their concentrations in bottom sediments: Cu (r = 0.69; p < 0.001), Zn (r = 0.67; p < 0.001), Cd (r = 0.75; p < 0.001), Pb (r = 0.52; p < 0.001). This indicates the fundamental possibility of using leeches as indicator organisms when monitoring the pollution of the aquatic ecosystems of the Ural by such pollutants as Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb.
Keywords: heavy metals, leeches, bottom sediments, bioaccumulation, indicator organisms
Article published in number 3 for 2022 DOI: 10.25750/1995-4301-2022-3-068-074
ISSN 1995-4301
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