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Feeding and Growth Responses of the Snail Theba pisana to Dietary Metal Exposure

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Abstract

The effects of dietary exposure to copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) on feeding activities, growth response, and mortality of Theba pisana snails were studied in 5-week feeding tests. Snails were fed on an artificial diet containing the following Cu, Pb, or Zn concentrations: 0, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10,000, and 15,000 μg/g dry food. At the end of 5 weeks, the food consumption rate was decreased with increasinges in both metal concentrations and time of exposure. The estimated concentrations of metals that reduces food consumption to 50% (EC50) after 5 weeks were 56, 118, and 18 μg/g dry food for Cu, Pb, and Zn, respectively. All tested metals in the diet were found to inhibit growth of the snails in a dose-dependent manner. The toxic effect on growth of the tested metals could be arranged in the order Cu > Zn > Pb. The cumulative percentage mortality among snails fed a Cu- or Zn-contaminated diet was 73.3% and the respective value for a Pb-contaminated diet was 13.3%. There was a positive correlation between growth coefficient and food consumption for all tested metals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pesticide Chemistry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt

    K. S. El-Gendy, M. A. Radwan & A. F. Gad

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  1. K. S. El-Gendy
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  2. M. A. Radwan
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  3. A. F. Gad
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Correspondence to K. S. El-Gendy.

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El-Gendy, K.S., Radwan, M.A. & Gad, A.F. Feeding and Growth Responses of the Snail Theba pisana to Dietary Metal Exposure. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 60, 272–280 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-010-9542-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-010-9542-1

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