Comparative Study of Lead Accumulation in Different Organs of the Freshwater Crab Zilchiopsis oronensis

GAGNETEN, AM; TUMINI, G; IMHOF, A; GERVASIO, S

WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION

SPRINGER

Lugar: Heidelberg ; Año: 2012 vol. 223 p. 617 - 624

0049-6979

Lead is known as an important aquatic contaminant with different toxic effects on various organisms. Until now, only few quantitative investigations have been published comparing Pb content in different organs of adult freshwater crabs. Their capacity to bioaccumulate other heavy metals is already known, and they have potential to transfer Pb to the terrestrial systems as they are frequent trophic items of reptiles and birds, even humans. The objectives of this study were to assess Pb accumulation in gills, carapace, digestive gland and quela muscle of the freshwater crab Zilchiopsis oronensis, and to correlate bioaccumulation with morphometric data and sex. The crabs were manually caught in non-polluted ponds of the middle Paraná River alluvial valley (Santa Fe, Argentina). After the acclimation period, they were individually and randomly exposed per quatriplicate to three Pb experimental doses, 20, 40 and 80 mgPb/l, in plastic cages during 15 days. After dissecting the crabs, the tissues were analyzed for lead in a Perkin Elmer Analyst 800 atomic absorption spectrometer. We found significant differences (p0.05) and highly significant differences (p