Investigations on ecological effects of heavy metal pollution in Hungary by moss-dwelling water bears (Tardigrada), as bioindicators.
Journal Title: Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine - Year 2002, Vol 9, Issue 2
Abstract
The authors demonstrate a possible relationship between the concentrations of metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) measured in mosses and the composition of Tardigrade species detected in the same samples. Cushions of Hypnum cupressiforme were collected at 18 sites distributed in the whole of Hungary to estimate the background air pollution, then analyzed by ICP-AES to determine the concentrations of heavy metals. Data reflect the expected correlation; elevated heavy metal contents decrease the number of water bear species and of specimens, and abundance of Tardigrada depends strongly on air pollution. Higher concentrations of cadmium and chromium seem to have particularly damaging and toxic influence on community structure. As the biologically relevant effects of pollution can only be evaluated by carrying out measurements on the organisms themselves, our method applied species of Bryophyte and of Tardigrade, as bioindicators were appeared to be an adequate method to show the effect of air pollution on abundance of water bears.
Authors and Affiliations
Béla Vargha, Edit Otvös, Zoltán Tuba
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP58738
- DOI -
- Views 140
- Downloads 0
Residential proximity to major roadways is associated with increased prevalence of allergic respiratory symptoms in children
[b]introduction and objective[/b]. Numerous epidemiologic studies have reported increased risk of allergic rhinitis and asthma in relation to ‘western life-style’, which represents diversity of factors. We hypothesized t...
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dentists - a questionnaire survey.
Dentists at work are susceptible to the development of health disorders. Bad working habits, repetitive tasks and uncomfortable posture contribute to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), stress and loss of production. The p...
Obesity and renal cancer incidence and mortality – a systematic review of prospective cohort studies
[b]Introduction and objective.[/b] There have been many studies published recently on obesity and the risk of renal cancer; however, the epidemiological evidence for such an association has not been consistent. Therefore...
Epidemiological studies in Poland on effect of physical activity of pregnant women on the health of offspring and future generations – adaptation of the hypothesis Development Origin of Health and Diseases
It is recognized that the levels of women's physical activity during pregnancy has a direct bearing on the method of delivery and health of the newborn. The main objective of the study was investigation of th...
Assessment of adequacy of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy
Introduction. Deficiency of vitamin D in pregnancy leads to higher incidences of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, bacterial vaginosis, and also affects the health of the infants. According to Polish rec...