ABSTRACT
Heavy metal toxicity is a profound reason for the decline in population of insect pollinators as it transfers through food chain and affect the physiological aspect of the insects. Thus, the heavy metal analysis in different insects such as butterfly (Pieris rapae), honey bee (Apis dorsata) and arachnid spider (Pholcus phalangioides) were examined by using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The aim of the study was to analyse the contamination and accumulation of heavy metals (Hg, Pb, Cr, Cd, Ni) in insect species as ecological indicator. It was revealed that the mercury (Hg) was in the highest concentration in all the insect samples and the nickel in lowest concentration. Data was statistically evaluated using one way ANOVA and post hoc analysis with significant value 0.05 was applied in case of p<0.05 suggested that all insects were good ecological indicator. There was no significant difference in lead, chromium and nickel concentration of honey bees, spiders and butterflies. Honey bees varied significantly p< 0.02 with the spiders and butterflies for cadmium. For mercury, the spiders and honey bees were non-significant and the butterflies were significant p< 0.03 with the spiders and honey bees. Present study indicated that heavy metals contamination is the major environmental and health concern in Pakistan and insects can be used as bioindicator for environmental pollution.
AUTHOR AFFILIATIONS
Department of Zoology, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan
Department of Zoology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan 54590
Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to SR
CITATION
Riaz S, Virk N, Manzoor F and Ali Z (2023) Insects and Arachnids as Bioindicators of Heavy Metal Toxicity in Lahore. Environ Sci Arch 2(STI-2):23-33.
REFERENCES
1. Adelanwa EB, Bako SP, Japhet WS, et al. (2017) Evaluation of copper and lead bioaccumulation potential of Salvinia molesta D. Mitch (Butterfly fern) in Northern Nigeria. Biological and Environmental Sciences Journal for the Tropics 13(9): 9-13.
2. Alajmi R, Abdel-Gaber R and AlOtaibi N (2019) Characterization of the 12S rRNA gene sequences of the harvester termite Anacanthotermes ochraceus (Blattodea: Hodotermitidae) and its role as A bioindicator of heavy metal accumulation risks in Saudi Arabia. Insects, 10(2):51. DOI: 10.3390/insects10020051
3. Alengebawy A, Abdelkhalek ST, Qureshi SR, et al. (2021) Heavy metals and pesticides toxicity in agricultural soil and plants: Ecological risks and human health implications. Toxics, 9(3):42. DOI: 10.3390/toxics9030042
4. Asati A, Pichhode M and Nikhil K (2016) Effect of heavy metals on plants: an overview. International Journal of Application or Innovation in Engineering & Management, 5(3):56-66.
5. Asghar A, Qadeer O, Mushtaq S, et al. (2022) Assessment of insects diversity with the influence of industrial pollutants in agricultural zones of District Sialkot, Pakistan. Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 23(4) DOI: 10.13057/biodiv/d230440
6. Azam I, Afsheen S, Zia A, et al. (2015) Evaluating insects as bioindicators of heavy metal contamination and accumulation near industrial area of Gujrat, Pakistan. BioMed research international, 2015. DOI: 10.1155/2015/942751
7. Conti ME and Botrè F (2001) Honeybees and their products as potential bioindicators of heavy metals contamination. Environmental monitoring and assessment, 69(3):267-282. DOI: 10.1023/A:1010719107006
8. Fakhimzadeh K and Lodenius M (2000) Heavy metals in Finnish honey, pollen and honey bees, Apiacta 35: 85 –95. http://hdl.handle.net/1975/249
9. Fayiga AO, Ipinmoroti MO and Chirenje T (2018) Environmental pollution in Africa. Environment, development and sustainability, 20(1):41-73. DOI: 10.1007/s10668-016-9894-4
10. Girotti S, Ghini S, Ferri E, et al. (2020) Bioindicators and biomonitoring: honeybees and hive products as pollution impact assessment tools for the Mediterranean area. Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration, 5(3):1-16. DOI: 10.1007/s41207-020-00204-9
11. Heckel PF and Keener TC (2007) Sex differences noted in mercury bioaccumulation in Magicicada cassini. Chemosphere, 69(1):79-81. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.04.063
12. Hsu MJ, Selvaraj K and Agoramoorthy G (2006) Taiwan's industrial heavy metal pollution threatens terrestrial biota. Environmental pollution, 143(2):327-334. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2005.11.023
13. Jung MP, Kim H, Kim ST, et al. (2007) Risk analysis of heavy metal contaminated habitats using a wolf spider, Pardosa astrigera (Araneae: Lycosidae) Environ Health Risk IV, WIT, Southampton, 229-236.
14. Khatri N, Raval K, Jha AK, et al. (2020) Pollution indicators at stretches of the Mahisagar River in Gujarat India. Environmental Claims Journal. 32(4):310-322. DOI: 10.1080/ 10406026.2020.1750803.
15. Khatri N, Tyagi S and Rawtani D (2018) Rural environment study for water from different sources in cluster of villages in Mehsana district of Gujarat. Environmental monitoring and assessment, 190(1):1-20. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-017-6382-8
16. Laing G, Bogaert N, Tack FM, et al. (2002) Heavy metal contents (Cd, Cu, Zn) in spiders (Pirata piraticus) living in intertidal sediments of the river Scheldt estuary (Belgium) as affected by substrate characteristics. Science of the Total Environment, 289(1-3):71-81. DOI: 10.1016/S0048-9697(01)01025-7
17. Murashova EA, Tunikov GM, Nefedova SA, et al. (2020) Major factors determining accumulation of toxic elements by bees and honey products. International Transaction Journal of Engineering, Management and Applied Sciences and Technologies, 11(3):11A03N. DOI: 10.14456/ITJEMAST.2020.54
18. Newman MC and Clements WH (2008) Ecotoxicology: a comprehensive treatment. cRc Press, Boca Raton, Florida.
19. Noret N, Josens G, Escarré J, et al. (2007) Development of Issoria lathonia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) on zinc‐accumulating and nonaccumulating Viola species (Violaceae) Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry: An International Journal, 26(3):565-571. DOI: 10.1897/06-413R.1
20. Nummelin M, Lodenius M, Tulisalo E, et al. (2007) Predatory insects as bioindicators of heavy metal pollution. Environmental Pollution, 145(1):339-347. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2006.03.002
21. Parikh G, Rawtani D and Khatri N (2021) Insects as an indicator for environmental pollution. Environmental Claims Journal, 33(2):161-181. DOI: 10.1080/10406026.2020.1780698
22. Perugini M, Manera M, Grotta L, et al. (2011) Heavy metal (Hg, Cr, Cd, and Pb) contamination in urban areas and wildlife reserves: honeybees as bioindicators. Biological trace element research, 140(2):170-176. DOI: 10.1007/s12011-010-8688-z
23. Porrini C, Ghini S, Girotti S, et al. (2002) 11 Use of honey bees as bioindicators of environmental pollution in Italy. Honey bees: estimating the environmental impact of chemicals, 186.
24. Roman A (2005) The influence of environment on accumulation of toxic elements in honey bees’ body. ISAH, 2:423-426.
25. Shahbazi K and Beheshti M (2019) Comparison of three methods for measuring heavy metals in calcareous soils of Iran. SN Applied Sciences, 1(12):1-19. DOI: 10.1007/s42452-019-1578-x
26. Shu Y, Gao Y, Sun H, et al. (2009) Effects of zinc exposure on the reproduction of Spodoptera litura Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 72(8):2130-2136. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2009.06.004
27. Singh S, Mahajan E and Sohal SK (2022) Effect of heavy metals on insects. In Appraisal of Metal (Loids) in the Ecosystem (361-390) https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-85621-8.00014-5
28. Skaldina O and Sorvari J (2019) Ecotoxicological effects of heavy metal pollution on economically important terrestrial insects. In Networking of mutagens in environmental toxicology ( 137-144). DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-96511-6_7
29. Srivastava S and Goyal P (2010) Novel biomaterials: decontamination of toxic metals from wastewater.1–10 Springer Science & Business Media.
30. Steen, JJM, Krake J and Grotenhuis T (2012) Spatial and temporal variation of metal concentrations in adult honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) Environmental monitoring and assessment, 184(7):4119-4126. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-2248-7
31. Szentgyoergyi H, Blinov A, Eremeeva N, et al. (2011) Bumblebees(bombidae) along pollution gradient- heavy metal accumulation, species diversity, and Nosema bombi infection level. Polish Journal of Ecology, 59(3):599-610.
32. Walker CH, Silby RM and Hopkin SP (2012) Principles of Ecotoxicology. 4th edn. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida.
33. Wang J, Wei B, Peng Y, et al. (2018) Transcriptome analysis reveals the molecular response to cadmium toxicity in P. pseudoannulata. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 25(34):34294-34305. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-3269-3
34. Wilczek G and Babczynska A (2000) Heavy metals in the gonads and hepatopancreas of spiders (Araneae) from variously polluted areas. Ekologia(Bratislava)/Ecology(Bratislava) 19(3):283-292.
35. Wilczek G, Babczyńska A, Augustyniak M, et al. (2004) Relations between metals (Zn, Pb, Cd and Cu) and glutathione-dependent detoxifying enzymes in spiders from a heavy metal pollution gradient. Environmental Pollution, 132(3):453-461. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2004.05.011
36. Yi Y, Yang Z and Zhang S (2011) Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in sediment and human health risk assessment of heavy metals in fishes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin. Environmental pollution, 159(10):2575-2585. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.06.011.
37. Zhang ZS, Lu XG, Wang QC, et al. (2009) Mercury, cadmium and lead biogeochemistry in the soil–plant–insect system in Huludao City. Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology, 83(2):255-259. DOI: 10.1007/s00128-009-9688-6
License: Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. Visit for more details http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.