Invertebrates as useful bioindicators of heavy metal pollution and the threat of urbanization
(2024) BION02 20231Degree Projects in Biology
- Abstract
- Heavy metal pollution is a worldwide crisis that threatens thousands of species and ecosystems. Within the next couple of decades, the majority of the global population is predicted to live in urban areas which will likely cause the pollution crisis to become even worse if preventive actions aren’t executed now. Hence, proper implementation of urban green spaces and infrastructure is imperative to create sustainable cities and maintain environmental health. In order to determine the health status of a particular environment, invertebrates are useful biological indicators due to their direct exposure to heavy metals and high abilities of metal accumulation. In this study, terrestrial isopods, earthworms, and garden snails were collected in... (More)
- Heavy metal pollution is a worldwide crisis that threatens thousands of species and ecosystems. Within the next couple of decades, the majority of the global population is predicted to live in urban areas which will likely cause the pollution crisis to become even worse if preventive actions aren’t executed now. Hence, proper implementation of urban green spaces and infrastructure is imperative to create sustainable cities and maintain environmental health. In order to determine the health status of a particular environment, invertebrates are useful biological indicators due to their direct exposure to heavy metals and high abilities of metal accumulation. In this study, terrestrial isopods, earthworms, and garden snails were collected in Dalby Söderskog National Park and in urban green spaces (i.e., gardens and parks) around Lund, Sweden and analyzed for heavy metal concentrations. These concentrations were then compared between the sampled invertebrates and between the two different environments. The results revealed that there were no significant differences in the heavy metal concentrations between Lund and the national park. However, there were significant differences in the heavy metal concentrations between the species. More research is needed to gain a better understanding of the effects and consequences of heavy metals. (Less)
- Popular Abstract
- Invertebrates as bioindicators of heavy metal pollution
As urbanization and the human population continues to grow, the world is faced with the ongoing threat of pollution. In particular, heavy metals are major contributors to pollution and are generally linked to human disturbance. Heavy metals are naturally found in nature, but they are also constantly being introduced to the environment through human activities (e.g., applications of agrochemicals, industrial productions, and traffic emissions) which severely increases the concentration of these metals to toxic and unnatural levels. This crisis not only affects humans, but it can lead to severe health complications or even increased mortality among organisms all over the world.
In... (More) - Invertebrates as bioindicators of heavy metal pollution
As urbanization and the human population continues to grow, the world is faced with the ongoing threat of pollution. In particular, heavy metals are major contributors to pollution and are generally linked to human disturbance. Heavy metals are naturally found in nature, but they are also constantly being introduced to the environment through human activities (e.g., applications of agrochemicals, industrial productions, and traffic emissions) which severely increases the concentration of these metals to toxic and unnatural levels. This crisis not only affects humans, but it can lead to severe health complications or even increased mortality among organisms all over the world.
In order to keep our cities and civilization as healthy as possible, we need to incorporate sustainability within these areas and include proper urban green spaces and infrastructure that promotes biodiversity and ecosystem services. One way to evaluate and regulate the health of urban developments and the degree of pollution is to analyze the heavy metal content in invertebrates inhabiting these areas. Analyzing heavy metal content in metal accumulating species can reveal a lot of information about the extent of pollution and the overall health of an ecosystem. Thus, terrestrial isopods, earthworms, and garden snails were collected in Dalby Söderskog National Park and in urban green spaces (i.e., gardens and parks) around Lund, Sweden in order to analyze and compare heavy metal concentrations among the invertebrates and the sampling locations. The aim of this project is to investigate 1) whether or not an urban environment (Lund) is more abundant in heavy metals than a protected area (Dalby Söderskog National Park) and 2) if different organisms from the same locations vary in heavy metal concentrations.
The study revealed that there were no significant differences in the heavy metal concentrations between Lund and Dalby Söderskog National Park. Even though protected areas, e.g., national parks, strive for nature conservation and minimal human interference, they are still likely to be highly affected by pollution due to the exposure of the surrounding urban areas and human activities. The study also revealed that there were differences in concentrations among the invertebrates across all locations. The snails and the isopods were very similar in heavy metal concentrations, while the worms varied significantly from the other two organisms. The differences in concentrations in the invertebrates could be explained by their varying behavior and physiology. Earthworms live in the soils where they typically accumulate most of their metals. Snails and isopods, on the other hand, live above ground and likely accumulate heavy metals through other sources as well including the consumption of plants and organic matter. Therefore, it is clear that different systems (burrowing invertebrates vs above-ground invertebrates) accumulate different levels of heavy metals. By conducting more research on heavy metal pollution, especially on lower trophic levels such as invertebrates, more information about the health and functioning of the ecosystem can be provided in order to set proper regulations and policies on heavy metals and on sustainable developments including green infrastructure and green spaces that thrive and reach up to their highest potential.
Master’s Degree Project in Conservation Biology: 45 Credits
Department of Biology, Lund University
Advisor: Maria Hansson
Department of Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC), Lund University (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9150425
- author
- Flink, Hannah
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- BION02 20231
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- language
- English
- id
- 9150425
- date added to LUP
- 2024-04-02 11:54:33
- date last changed
- 2024-04-02 11:54:33
@misc{9150425,
abstract = {{Heavy metal pollution is a worldwide crisis that threatens thousands of species and ecosystems. Within the next couple of decades, the majority of the global population is predicted to live in urban areas which will likely cause the pollution crisis to become even worse if preventive actions aren’t executed now. Hence, proper implementation of urban green spaces and infrastructure is imperative to create sustainable cities and maintain environmental health. In order to determine the health status of a particular environment, invertebrates are useful biological indicators due to their direct exposure to heavy metals and high abilities of metal accumulation. In this study, terrestrial isopods, earthworms, and garden snails were collected in Dalby Söderskog National Park and in urban green spaces (i.e., gardens and parks) around Lund, Sweden and analyzed for heavy metal concentrations. These concentrations were then compared between the sampled invertebrates and between the two different environments. The results revealed that there were no significant differences in the heavy metal concentrations between Lund and the national park. However, there were significant differences in the heavy metal concentrations between the species. More research is needed to gain a better understanding of the effects and consequences of heavy metals.}},
author = {{Flink, Hannah}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Invertebrates as useful bioindicators of heavy metal pollution and the threat of urbanization}},
year = {{2024}},
}