The present work aimed at evaluating the use of butterflies as novel bioindicators for atmospheric contamination. The study was focused on the Terni basin valley (Central Italy) a current hot-spot for environmental studies, due to the heavy load of pollutants by industrial activities and to the orographic conditions that favor air stagnation and pollutants accumulation. The goal of the study was to evaluate the environmental contamination through the use of butterflies in relation to the distance of the catching site from the productive pole of the city of Terni. The monitoring campaign was carried out at 9 sampling sites (from 133 to 967 m a.s.l.), investigated between June and September 2014, along a transect centered on the city (NW-SE axis, 21 km long). Heavy metal bioaccumulation levels (Cd, Cr, Ni, Zn, Cu, Pb, Co, V, Mn) were analyzed in 470 butterfly specimens belonging to five species: Coenonympha pamphilus, Lasiommata megera, Polyommatus icarus, Pieris napi, and Pieris rapae. At each site, we chose a random sample throughout the sampling period corresponding to a dry weight of about 100 mg (in two replicates) for each species. The analysis highlighted a bioaccumulation increase of Ni, Vu, Zn, and Mn in all the five butterfly species in the sites close to the metallurgical plant, while Cr showed this trend only in two species, namely C. pamphilus and L. megera. Cd, Pb, V, and Co were almost always below the lowest detectable level in all the butterflies. These results suggested species-specific bioaccumulation in relation to the heavy metals most associated to the emissions by the metallurgical activities, highlighting how butterflies can be used to detect the heavy metal contamination related to the anthropic activity in a territory.
Butterflies as bioindicators of heavy metal contamination: a case study at Terni basin valley (Central Italy)
Pallottini M.;Goretti E.;La Porta G.;Petroselli C.;Gravina P.;Selvaggi R.;Cappelletti D.
2019
Abstract
The present work aimed at evaluating the use of butterflies as novel bioindicators for atmospheric contamination. The study was focused on the Terni basin valley (Central Italy) a current hot-spot for environmental studies, due to the heavy load of pollutants by industrial activities and to the orographic conditions that favor air stagnation and pollutants accumulation. The goal of the study was to evaluate the environmental contamination through the use of butterflies in relation to the distance of the catching site from the productive pole of the city of Terni. The monitoring campaign was carried out at 9 sampling sites (from 133 to 967 m a.s.l.), investigated between June and September 2014, along a transect centered on the city (NW-SE axis, 21 km long). Heavy metal bioaccumulation levels (Cd, Cr, Ni, Zn, Cu, Pb, Co, V, Mn) were analyzed in 470 butterfly specimens belonging to five species: Coenonympha pamphilus, Lasiommata megera, Polyommatus icarus, Pieris napi, and Pieris rapae. At each site, we chose a random sample throughout the sampling period corresponding to a dry weight of about 100 mg (in two replicates) for each species. The analysis highlighted a bioaccumulation increase of Ni, Vu, Zn, and Mn in all the five butterfly species in the sites close to the metallurgical plant, while Cr showed this trend only in two species, namely C. pamphilus and L. megera. Cd, Pb, V, and Co were almost always below the lowest detectable level in all the butterflies. These results suggested species-specific bioaccumulation in relation to the heavy metals most associated to the emissions by the metallurgical activities, highlighting how butterflies can be used to detect the heavy metal contamination related to the anthropic activity in a territory.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
