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Using Enclosed Y-Mazes to Assess Chemosensory Behavior in Reptiles

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Geckos as indicators of mining pollution.

Dean E Fletcher¹, William A Hopkins, Teresa Saldaña

¹Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina 29803, USA. fletcher@srel.edu

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

|September 22, 2006

Summary

Mine tailings dam collapse caused persistent river valley contamination. Geckos accumulate pollutants like arsenic, lead, and cadmium from affected food chains, indicating ongoing environmental risk.

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Area of Science:

Environmental Science
Ecotoxicology
Herpetology

Background:

A 1998 mine tailings dam collapse in southern Spain released toxic mud and acidic water.
Remediation removed sludge but left persistent contamination, exacerbated by aerosolized materials from clean-up.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess the bioaccumulation of elements in the Moorish wall gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) across a contamination gradient.
To evaluate the effectiveness of tail clips as a non-destructive method for monitoring contaminant levels.
To determine if geckos can serve as bioindicators for hazardous pollutant bioavailability in terrestrial food chains.

Main Methods:

Collected whole-body samples of Tarentola mauritanica from seven locations with varying mine-related contamination levels.
Analyzed concentrations of 21 elements in gecko tissues using multivariate statistical analyses.
Compared element concentrations in tail clips versus whole bodies.
Assessed element concentrations in potential gecko prey items.

Main Results:

Gecko tissues showed increased concentrations of arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) along the expected contamination gradient.
Higher contaminant levels were found in prey items from mine-affected areas, indicating food chain transfer.
Element concentrations in tail clips correlated with whole-body concentrations, validating tail clips as a viable index.

Conclusions:

The terrestrial food chain in the affected areas remains contaminated by mine pollutants.
Tarentola mauritanica can serve as a useful bioindicator for studying the bioavailability of hazardous elements.
Non-destructive tail sampling is a reliable method for assessing contaminant burdens in geckos.