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Carreira BM, Kolář V, Chmelová E, Jan J, Adašević J, Landeira-Dabarca A, Vebrová L, Poláková M, Horká P, Otáhalová Š, Musilová Z, Borovec J, Tropek R, Boukal DS. Bioaccumulation of chemical elements at post-industrial freshwater sites varies predictably between habitats, elements and taxa: A power law approach. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 901:165794. [PMID: 37527719 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
Elevated environmental levels of elements originating from anthropogenic activities threaten natural communities and public health, as these elements can persist and bioaccumulate in the environment. However, their environmental risks and bioaccumulation patterns are often habitat-, species- and element-specific. We studied the bioaccumulation patterns of 11 elements in seven freshwater taxa in post-mining habitats in the Czech Republic, ranging from less polluted mining ponds to highly polluted fly ash lagoons. We found nonlinear, power-law relationships between the environmental and tissue concentrations of the elements, which may explain differences in bioaccumulation factors (BAF) reported in the literature. Tissue concentrations were driven by the environmental concentrations in non-essential elements (Al, As, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb and V), but this dependence was limited in essential elements (Cu, Mn, Se and Zn). Tissue concentrations of most elements were also more closely related to substrate than to water concentrations. Bioaccumulation was habitat specific in eight elements: stronger in mining ponds for Al and Pb, and stronger in fly ash lagoons for As, Cu, Mn, Pb, Se, V and Zn, although the differences were often minor. Bioaccumulation of some elements further increased in mineral-rich localities. Proximity to substrate, rather than trophic level, drove increased bioaccumulation levels across taxa. This highlights the importance of substrate as a pollutant reservoir in standing freshwaters and suggests that benthic taxa, such as molluscs (e.g., Physella) and other macroinvertebrates (e.g., Nepa), constitute good bioindicators. Despite the higher environmental risks in fly ash lagoons than in mining ponds, the observed ability of freshwater biota to sustain pollution supports the conservation potential of post-industrial sites. The power law approach used here to quantify and disentangle the effects of various bioaccumulation drivers may be helpful in additional contexts, increasing our ability to predict the effects of other contaminants and environmental hazards on biota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno M Carreira
- University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Departments of Ecosystem Biology and Botany, Branišovská 1760, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia; Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 1160/31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia; cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Edifício C2, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Vojtěch Kolář
- University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Departments of Ecosystem Biology and Botany, Branišovská 1760, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia; Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 1160/31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia.
| | - Eliška Chmelová
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 1160/31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia; Charles University, Faculty of Science, Department of Ecology, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague, Czechia.
| | - Jiří Jan
- University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Departments of Ecosystem Biology and Botany, Branišovská 1760, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia; Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 1160/31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia.
| | - Josip Adašević
- HAS Den Bosch University of Applied Science, Department of Biology, Animal and Environment, Has Green Academy, Po Box 90108, 5200 MA's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.
| | - Andrea Landeira-Dabarca
- University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Departments of Ecosystem Biology and Botany, Branišovská 1760, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia; Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 1160/31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia.
| | - Lucie Vebrová
- University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Departments of Ecosystem Biology and Botany, Branišovská 1760, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia.
| | - Martina Poláková
- University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Departments of Ecosystem Biology and Botany, Branišovská 1760, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia; Masaryk University, Faculty of Science, Department of Botany and Zoology, Kotlářská 2, 61137 Brno, Czechia.
| | - Petra Horká
- Charles University, Faculty of Science, Institute of Environmental Studies, Benátská 2, 12801 Prague, Czechia.
| | - Šárka Otáhalová
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 1160/31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia.
| | - Zuzana Musilová
- Charles University, Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague, Czechia.
| | - Jakub Borovec
- University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Departments of Ecosystem Biology and Botany, Branišovská 1760, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia; Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 1160/31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia.
| | - Robert Tropek
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 1160/31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia; Charles University, Faculty of Science, Department of Ecology, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague, Czechia.
| | - David S Boukal
- University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Departments of Ecosystem Biology and Botany, Branišovská 1760, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia; Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 1160/31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia.
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Reich MS, Kindra M, Dargent F, Hu L, Flockhart DTT, Norris DR, Kharouba H, Talavera G, Bataille CP. Metals and metal isotopes incorporation in insect wings: Implications for geolocation and pollution exposure. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1085903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities are exposing insects to elevated levels of toxic metals and are altering the bioavailability of essential metals. Metals and metal isotopes have also become promising tools for the geolocation of migratory insects. Understanding the pathways of metal incorporation in insect tissues is thus important for assessing the role of metals in insect physiology and ecology and for the development of metals and metal isotopes as geolocation tools. We conducted a diet-switching experiment on monarch butterflies [Danaus plexippus (L.)] with controlled larval and adult diets to evaluate the sources of 23 metals and metalloids, strontium isotopes, and lead isotopes to insect wing tissues over a period of 8 weeks. Concentrations of Ca, Co, Mo, and Sb differed between the sexes or with body mass. Ni and Zn bioaccumulated in the insect wing tissues over time, likely from the adult diet, while increases in Al, Cr, Cd, Cu, Fe, and Pb were, at least partially, from external sources (i.e., dust aerosols). Bioaccumulation of Pb in the monarch wings was confirmed by Pb isotopes to mainly be sourced from external anthropogenic sources, revealing the potential of Pb isotopes to become an indicator and tracer of metal pollution exposure along migratory paths. Concentrations of Ba, Cs, Mg, Na, Rb, Sr, Ti, Tl, and U appeared to be unaffected by intrinsic factors or additions of metals from adult dietary or external sources, and their potential for geolocation should be further explored. Strontium isotope ratios remained indicative of the larval diet, at least in males, supporting its potential as a geolocation tool. However, the difference in strontium isotope ratios between sexes, as well as the possibility of external contamination by wetting, requires further investigation. Our results demonstrate the complexity of metal incorporation processes in insects and the value of studying metals to develop new tools to quantify pollution exposure, metal toxicity, micronutrient uptake, and insect mobility.
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Tibbett M, Green I, Rate A, De Oliveira VH, Whitaker J. The transfer of trace metals in the soil-plant-arthropod system. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 779:146260. [PMID: 33744587 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Essential and non-essential trace metals are capable of causing toxicity to organisms above a threshold concentration. Extensive research has assessed the behaviour of trace metals in biological and ecological systems, but has typically focused on single organisms within a trophic level and not on multi-trophic transfer through terrestrial food chains. This reinforces the notion of metal toxicity as a closed system, failing to consider one trophic level as a pollution source to another; therefore, obscuring the full extent of ecosystem effects. Given the relatively few studies on trophic transfer of metals, this review has taken a compartment-based approach, where transfer of metals through trophic pathways is considered as a series of linked compartments (soil-plant-arthropod herbivore-arthropod predator). In particular, we consider the mechanisms by which trace metals are taken up by organisms, the forms and transformations that can occur within the organism and the consequences for trace metal availability to the next trophic level. The review focuses on four of the most prevalent metal cations in soil which are labile in terrestrial food chains: Cd, Cu, Zn and Ni. Current knowledge of the processes and mechanisms by which these metals are transformed and moved within and between trophic levels in the soil-plant-arthropod system are evaluated. We demonstrate that the key factors controlling the transfer of trace metals through the soil-plant-arthropod system are the form and location in which the metal occurs in the lower trophic level and the physiological mechanisms of each organism in regulating uptake, transformation, detoxification and transfer. The magnitude of transfer varies considerably depending on the trace metal concerned, as does its toxicity, and we conclude that biomagnification is not a general property of plant-arthropod and arthropod-arthropod systems. To deliver a more holistic assessment of ecosystem toxicity, integrated studies across ecosystem compartments are needed to identify critical pathways that can result in secondary toxicity across terrestrial food-chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Tibbett
- Department of Sustainable Land Management & Soil Research Centre, School of Agriculture Policy and Development, University of Reading, Whiteknights, RG6 6AR, UK.
| | - Iain Green
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Poole, Dorset BH12 5BB, UK
| | - Andrew Rate
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Vinícius H De Oliveira
- Department of Plant Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, Sao Paulo 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Jeanette Whitaker
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Lancaster LA1 4AP, UK
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Orłowski G, Niedzielski P, Karg J, Proch J. Colour-assisted variation in elytral ICP-OES-based ionomics in an aposematic beetle. Sci Rep 2020; 10:22262. [PMID: 33335273 PMCID: PMC7746717 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79329-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Very little is known about how the elemental composition (ionome) of an insect cuticle varies as a result of different colouration. Using inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), we established ionomic profiles in microsamples of two adjacent regions of an insect cuticle with a contrasting colour pattern, namely, the black and orange regions of the elytra of the aposematic burying beetle Nicrophorus vespillo. The analysis revealed 53 elements (ranging in atomic weight from Na to Bi) occurring above the detection limit. The frequency of detectability of individual elements varied strongly, and only ten elements (Ba, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, P, Rb, Sb and Zn) were present in concentrations exceeding the detection limit in all the samples. The sum of concentrations of all elements in the orange regions of the elytra was 9% lower than in the black ones. The opposite distribution was displayed by the rare earth elements (REEs), the sum of which was 17% lower in the black elytral regions than in the orange ones. The concentrations of six elements were significantly higher in the black than in the orange regions: Al (by 97%), Cu (41%), Mn (14%), Na (46%), Se (97%) and W (47%). The concentrations of essential elements measured in both the black and orange regions exhibited very considerable variance: Ca (σ2 = 1834; 1882, respectively), K (145; 82) P (97; 76), Na (84; 53), Mg (24; 26) and Ba (9; 13). This, in part, could be attributed to individual differences, e.g. those resulting from the consumption of animal carcasses of different quality/chemical composition, but interference between elements and the consequent lowering of measurement quality are also possible. We highlight the fact that deeper insight into the basic relationship between insect colouration and variation in elemental composition requires micro-sampling of the homogeneous layers of an exoskeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grzegorz Orłowski
- Institute for Agricultural and Forest Environment, Polish Academy of Sciences, Bukowska 19, 60-809, Poznań, Poland.
| | - Przemysław Niedzielski
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 8, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Jerzy Karg
- Department of Nature Conservation, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, Prof. Z. Szafrana 1, 65-516, ZielonaGóra, Poland
| | - Jędrzej Proch
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 8, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
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Orłowski G, Mróz L, Kadej M, Smolis A, Tarnawski D, Karg J, Campanaro A, Bardiani M, Harvey DJ, Méndez M, Thomaes A, Vrezec A, Ziomek K, Rudecki AL, Mader D. Supporting dataset and methods for body sizes and concentrations of chemical elements measured in elytra and abdomens of Stag Beetles Lucanus cervus. Data Brief 2020; 31:105935. [PMID: 32671146 PMCID: PMC7347950 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.105935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The dataset presented in this data paper supports "Breaking down insect stoichiometry into chitin-based and internal elemental traits: Patterns and correlates of continent-wide intraspecific variation in the largest European saproxylic beetle" (Orłowski et al. 2020). Here we present the supplementary data and description of methods on the following: (1) mass of elytra and abdomens across 28 local Stag Beetle Lucanus cervus populations in Europe. (2) Population origin and coverage of six major land-cover types, including transport infrastructure, measured in three radii (500 m, 1000 m and 5000 m) around the sampling sites of these populations. (3) The relationship between the mass and concentrations of elements measured in abdomens and elytra in 28 Stag Beetle populations and major land-cover types around the sampling sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grzegorz Orłowski
- Institute of Agricultural and Forest Environment, Polish Academy of Sciences, Bukowska 19, PL-60-809 Poznań, Poland
| | - Lucyna Mróz
- Department of Ecology, Biogeochemistry and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Biological Science, University of Wrocław, Kanonia 6/8, PL-50-328 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Marcin Kadej
- Department of Invertebrate Biology, Evolution and Conservation, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biological Science, University of Wrocław, Przybyszewskiego 65, PL-51-148 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Adrian Smolis
- Department of Invertebrate Biology, Evolution and Conservation, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biological Science, University of Wrocław, Przybyszewskiego 65, PL-51-148 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Dariusz Tarnawski
- Department of Invertebrate Biology, Evolution and Conservation, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biological Science, University of Wrocław, Przybyszewskiego 65, PL-51-148 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Jerzy Karg
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Nature Conservation, University of Zielona Góra, , Prof. Z. Szafrana 1, PL-65-516 Zielona Góra, Zielona Góra, Poland
| | - Alessandro Campanaro
- Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria - Centro di ricerca Difesa e Certificazione, Firenze, Italy
| | - Marco Bardiani
- Reparto Carabinieri Biodiversità di Verona, Centro Nazionale Carabinieri Biodiversità "Bosco Fontana", Mantova, Italy
| | - Deborah J Harvey
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Marcos Méndez
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservacion, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Mostoles (Madrid), Spain
| | - Arno Thomaes
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Brussel, Belgium
| | - Al Vrezec
- National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Krzysztof Ziomek
- Institute of Agricultural and Forest Environment, Polish Academy of Sciences, Bukowska 19, PL-60-809 Poznań, Poland
| | - Andrzej L Rudecki
- Department of Ecology, Biogeochemistry and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Biological Science, University of Wrocław, Kanonia 6/8, PL-50-328 Wrocław, Poland
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Tsang TPN, Guénard B, Bonebrake TC. Omnivorous ants are less carnivorous and more protein-limited in exotic plantations. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1941-1951. [PMID: 32379899 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Diets of species are crucial in determining how they influence food webs and community structures, and how their populations are regulated by different bottom-up processes. Omnivores are able to adjust their diet flexibly according to environmental conditions, such that their impacts on food webs and communities, and the macronutrients constraining their population, can be plastic. In particular, omnivore diets are known to be influenced by prey availability, which exhibits high spatial and temporal variation. To examine the plasticity of diet and macronutrient limitation in omnivores, we compared trophic positions, macronutrient preferences and food exploitation rates of omnivorous ants in invertebrate-rich (secondary forests) and invertebrate-poor (Lophostemon confertus plantations) habitats. We hypothesized that omnivorous ants would have lower trophic positions, enhanced protein limitation and reduced food exploitation rates in L. confertus plantations relative to secondary forests. We performed cafeteria experiments to examine changes in macronutrient limitation and food exploitation rates. We also sampled ants and conducted stable isotope analyses to investigate dietary shifts between these habitats. We found that conspecific ants were less carnivorous and had higher preferences for protein-rich food in L. confertus plantations compared to secondary forests. However, ant assemblages did not exhibit increased preferences for protein-rich food in L. confertus plantations. At the species-level, food exploitation rates varied idiosyncratically between habitats. At the assemblage-level, food exploitation rates were reduced in L. confertus plantations. Our results reveal that plantation establishments alter the diet and foraging behaviour of omnivorous ants. Such changes suggest that omnivorous ants in plantations will have reduced top-down impacts on prey communities but also see an increased importance of protein as a bottom-up force in constraining omnivore population sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby P N Tsang
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
| | - Benoit Guénard
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
| | - Timothy C Bonebrake
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
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