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Fresh water snails as bioindicator for some heavy metals
in the aquatic environment
Author(s) -
Mahmoud Kadria M. A.,
Abu Taleb Hoda M. A.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
african journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1365-2028
pISSN - 0141-6707
DOI - 10.1111/aje.12019
Subject(s) - bioindicator , snail , biology , heavy metals , freshwater snail , freshwater mollusc , ecology , environmental chemistry , zoology , schistosomiasis , helminths , chemistry
The aim of this investigation is to study some freshwater snails as bioindicator for heavy metals C d, C u and P b by determining the concentration of these metals in the field water samples and in whole snail tissues. Seven freshwater snails were used in the present study, some of which are considered medically important snails in E gypt, B iomphalaria alexandrina and B ulinus truncatus, the intermediate hosts for schistosomiasis and nontarget snails B ellamya unicolor, C leopatra bulimoides , H elisoma duryi, P hysa acuta and T heodoxus niloticus . Samples of snails were gathered from three E gyptian governorates: D amietta, G iza and M onufia.. The snails were arranged according to their accumulated concentration of the above‐mentioned microelements in descending order as follows: C . bulimoides > H . duryi > B . truncatus > B . alexandrina > P . acuta > B . unicolor > T . niloticus . It is concluded from the analysis of water and the investigated snails that these snails can accumulate C u, P b and C d with high concentrations in their bodies, so they can be used as bioindicators for heavy metals.