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Macrobenthic invertebrates as bioindicators of trace elements in high-mountain lakes
Paolo Pastorino1,2, Elisabetta Pizzul3, Marco Bertoli3
1Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, via Giorgieri 10, 34127, Trieste, Italy. paolo.pastorino@izsto.it.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research International
|December 22, 2019
Summary
Alpine lakes, once thought pristine, show trace element contamination. Macrobenthic invertebrates like Chironomidae accumulate these elements, indicating pollution from lowland precipitation. This study pioneers their use as bioindicators in Alpine ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Ecology
- Limnology
Background:
- Alpine lakes are remote ecosystems increasingly impacted by global anthropogenic pollution.
- Macrobenthic invertebrates are crucial to these ecosystems and serve as effective bioindicators for trace element accumulation.
- Previous research has overlooked the potential of these invertebrates for monitoring pollution in high-altitude aquatic environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize macrobenthic invertebrate communities in Balma and Dimon Alpine lakes.
- To quantify nine trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Se, Zn) in dominant invertebrate taxa (Chironomidae, Oligochaeta, Hirudinea).
- To assess the bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of selected elements and evaluate invertebrates as bioindicators of trace element contamination in Alpine lakes.
Main Methods:
- Field sampling of macrobenthic invertebrates and lake sediment in Balma and Dimon Lakes during summer and autumn.
- Analysis of nine trace elements in invertebrate tissues (Chironomidae, Oligochaeta, Hirudinea) and sediment using appropriate analytical techniques.
- Calculation of bioaccumulation factors (BAF) for Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Zinc based on sediment and invertebrate concentrations.
Main Results:
- Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), and Zinc (Zn) were the most abundant trace elements, correlating with environmental availability and essential biological functions.
- Chironomidae exhibited the highest total trace element concentrations compared to Oligochaeta and Hirudinea.
- Dimon Lake showed higher trace element levels in both sediment and invertebrates, suggesting greater contaminant influx from precipitation, and BAF values decreased with increasing sediment contamination.
Conclusions:
- Macrobenthic invertebrates, particularly Chironomidae, are valuable bioindicators for assessing trace element contamination in Alpine lakes.
- The study demonstrates that even remote Alpine ecosystems are affected by anthropogenic pollution, with Dimon Lake showing higher contamination levels.
- This research establishes a novel method for monitoring trace element pollution in Alpine lake ecosystems using invertebrate communities.
