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Nickel levels in arthropods associated with Ni hyperaccumulator plants from an ultramafic site in New Caledonia
Author(s) -
BOYD ROBERT S.,
WALL MICHAEL A.,
JAFFRÉ TANGUY
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
insect science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.991
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1744-7917
pISSN - 1672-9609
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7917.2006.00094.x
Subject(s) - biology , hyperaccumulator , botany , sciaridae , larva , ecology , phytoremediation , contamination
Arthropods (mainly insects) were collected from a forest site that contained at least six species of Ni hyperaccumulators. Whole body Ni analysis was performed for 12 arthropod taxa, two of which were studied at different life cycle stages. We found two Nitolerant insects. The pentatomid heteropteran Utana viridipuncta , feeding on fruits of the Ni hyperaccumulator Hybanthus austrocaledonicus , contained a mean of 2 600 μNi/g in nymphs and 750 μNi/g in adults. The tephritid fly Bactrocera psidii , feeding on pulp of Sebertia acuminata fruits that contained 6 900 μNi/g, contained 420 μNi/g as larvae that had evacuated their guts and significantly less (65 μNi/g) as adults. European honeybees (Apis mellifera) visiting flowers of the Ni hyperaccumulator H. austrocaledonicus contained significantly more Ni (8‐fold more) than those collected from flowers of Myodocarpus fraxinifolius , a non‐hyperaccumulator. Our results show that some insects feed on Ni hyperaccumulator plants and that their feeding mobilizes Ni into local food webs.