CONCENTRATIONS OF METALS (Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn, Ca) IN SIX SPECIES OF BRITISH TERRESTRIAL GASTROPODS NEAR A DISUSED LEAD AND ZINC MINE
- 3 March 1989
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Molluscan Studies
- Vol. 55 (1) , 31-36
- https://doi.org/10.1093/mollus/55.1.31
Abstract
Heavy metal concentrations in 6 terrestrial slug species inhabiting a disused Pb/Zn mine site were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Differences in metal accumulation patterns were such that the species could be ranked in order of overall metal accumulation capability: Arion hortensis < Deoceras reticulatum < Milax budapestensis < Arion ater < Deroceras caruanac < Arion subfuscus. Species belonging to the same genus were widely separated by this simple ranking scheme. The results are discussed in the context of inter-species competition and resource partitioning, and cautionary comments are made concerning the utility of slugs as biomonitors of terrestrial heavy metal pollution.This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit:
- Uptake and cellular distribution of copper, cobalt and cadmium in strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultured on elevated concentrations of these metalsFEMS Microbiology Letters, 1986
- Slugs as Generalist Herbivores: Tests of Three Hypotheses on Plant ChoicesEcology, 1985
- Heavy metals in isopods from the supra-littoral zone on the Southern shore of the Severn Estuary, UKEnvironmental Pollution Series B, Chemical and Physical, 1985
- The accumulation and intracellular compartmentation of cadmium, lead, zinc and calcium in two earthworm species (Dendrobaena rubida and Lumbricus rubellus) living in highly contaminated soilHistochemistry and Cell Biology, 1982
- Experimental Studies on Slug-Plant Interactions: III. Differences in the Acceptability of Individual Plants of Trifolium Repens to Slugs and SnailsJournal of Ecology, 1982
- Niche Separation in Woodland SlugsOikos, 1979
- The slug foot as a site of uptake of copper molluscicideJournal of Invertebrate Pathology, 1977
- Resource Partitioning in Ecological CommunitiesScience, 1974