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Assessment of heavy metals and metalloids in tissues of two frog species: Rana tigrina and Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis from industrial city Sialkot, Pakistan

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Abstract

In the present study, we investigated the concentrations of Ni, Fe, Pb, Cu, Co, Zn, Cd, Mn, and Cr in selected body tissues (liver, stomach, kidney, heart, lungs, and skeletal muscles) of two frog species: Rana tigrina and Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis captured from industrial wastewater of Sialkot city known worldwide for its tanning industry. The both frog species had darker appearance, distinctively different wet body weight, and snout-vent length. The results revealed that the heavy metal concentrations were high in the samples collected from industrial sites as compared to non-industrial sites. The different tissues of R. tigrina and E. cyanophlyctis exhibited little significant differences from two sites. The concentrations of heavy metals were more in tissues of R. tigrina as compared to E. cyanophlyctis. Mean concentration of Cd, Fe, Ni, Mn, Cu, and Cr was comparatively greater in R. tigrina, whereas Pb and Co were higher in E. cyanophlyctis. The concentration of Cu and Cd in the liver and kidney were relatively more in both species as compared to other organs. Further, the results indicated that frogs collected from industrial sites showed decreased body length and weight, and greater metal accumulation. The results will help the authorities for the conservation of these frog species which are under the influence of heavy metal contamination.

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Acknowledgments

The research work was funded through a departmental grant offered to the second author by the Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Animal and Human Physiology, Department of Animal Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan

    Irfan Zia Qureshi & Zeshan Kashif

  2. Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, People’s Republic of China

    Muhammad Zaffar Hashmi & Kalim Ullah

  3. Environmental Biology and Ecotoxicology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, PO 45320, Pakistan

    Xiaomei Su

  4. Department of Environmental Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Multan, Pakistan

    Riffat Naseem Malik & Jinxing Hu

  5. Department of Environmental Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Multan, Pakistan

    Muhammad Dawood

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  1. Irfan Zia Qureshi
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  2. Zeshan Kashif
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  3. Muhammad Zaffar Hashmi
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Correspondence to Irfan Zia Qureshi.

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Qureshi, I.Z., Kashif, Z., Hashmi, M.Z. et al. Assessment of heavy metals and metalloids in tissues of two frog species: Rana tigrina and Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis from industrial city Sialkot, Pakistan. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 14157–14168 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4454-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4454-2

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