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Apple snails and their endosymbionts bioconcentrate heavy metals and uranium from contaminated drinking water

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Abstract

Purpose

The differential ability of apple snail tissues, endosymbionts, and eggs to bioaccumulate several metals (Sb, As, Ba, Br, Zn, Cr, Fe, Hg, Se, and U) was investigated.

Methods

Metal concentrations were determined by neutron activation analysis in several tissues, endosymbionts, and eggs from mature apple snails cultured in either drinking water or reconstituted water (prepared with American Society for Testing and Materials type I water).

Results

The highest bioconcentration factors (BCFs) in the midgut gland were found for Ba, Zn, Se, As, U, Br, and Hg (in decreasing order), while the highest in the kidney were for Ba, Br, and Hg. The foot showed the highest BCFs for Ba, Hg, Br, and Se (in decreasing order). Calcified tissues (uterus, shell) and eggs showed low BCFs, except for Ba. Both C corpuscles and gland tissue showed statistically higher BCFs than K corpuscles for Ba, Fe, U, Br, and Sb. The concentration of most of the studied elements was significantly lower in tissues and endosymbionts obtained from snails cultured in reconstituted water instead of drinking water. Snails cultured in reconstituted water and then exposed or not to Hg, As, and U (at the maximum contaminant level allowed by the US Environmental Protection Agency) also resulted in high levels accumulated in midgut gland, endosymbionts and kidney.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the midgut gland (and the symbionts contained therein), the kidney, and the foot of Pomacea canaliculata may be useful bioindicators of Hg, As and U pollution in freshwater bodies and that the unrestricted use of ampullariid snails as human and animal food must be considered with caution..

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Acknowledgments

We thank Lic. Adriana M. Carrión for technical assistance. This work was supported by grants from the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, and Fondo Nacional de Ciencia y Técnica (Argentina).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Fisiología (IHEM-CONICET), and Departamento de Morfología y Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Casilla de Correo 33, 5500, Mendoza, Argentina

    Israel A. Vega & Alfredo Castro-Vazquez

  2. Instituto de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, Parque Gral, San Martín, Ciudad, 5500, Mendoza, Argentina

    Israel A. Vega & Alfredo Castro-Vazquez

  3. Laboratorio de Análisis por Activación Neutrónica, Unidad de Actividad Ingeniería Nuclear, GAEN, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Avda. Bustillo 9500, 8400, Bariloche, Argentina

    María A. Arribére, Andrea V. Almonacid & Sergio Ribeiro Guevara

  4. Instituto Balseiro, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo and CONEA, Avda. Bustillo 9500, 8400, Bariloche, Argentina

    María A. Arribére & Andrea V. Almonacid

Authors
  1. Israel A. Vega
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  2. María A. Arribére
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  3. Andrea V. Almonacid
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  4. Sergio Ribeiro Guevara
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  5. Alfredo Castro-Vazquez
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Israel A. Vega.

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Responsible Editor: Stuart Simpson

Electronic supplementary material

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ESM 1

Bioconcentration factors (BCFs) by midgut gland, C and K corpuscles, and kidney in snails cultured from hatching to 4 months old in reconstituted water and then exposed for two additional months to either Hg, As, or U (DOC 53 kb)

ESM 2

Element concentrations (milligram per kilogram of dry mass) in different foods provided to apple snails in culture (mean ± SEM; N = 6, DOC 55 kb)

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Vega, I.A., Arribére, M.A., Almonacid, A.V. et al. Apple snails and their endosymbionts bioconcentrate heavy metals and uranium from contaminated drinking water. Environ Sci Pollut Res 19, 3307–3316 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-0848-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-0848-6

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