Heavy Metals Assessment in the Medjerda River Basin (Northeastern Algeria): A Preliminary Water Analysis and Toad Skin B
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Proc Zool Soc https://doi.org/10.1007/s12595-020-00342-6
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Heavy Metals Assessment in the Medjerda River Basin (Northeastern Algeria): A Preliminary Water Analysis and Toad Skin Biopsy Noureddine Guezgouz1,2 • Costantino Parisi2 • Soumaya Boubsil3 • Gaetano Grieco1,2 Soualah Alila Hana1 • Giulia Guerriero2,4
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Received: 31 May 2020 / Revised: 21 July 2020 / Accepted: 24 July 2020 Ó The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Our study attempted to monitor the quality of water in Medjarda basin (Northeastern Algeria) and to provide baseline information of heavy metals in the water as well as in a potential amphibian biosentinel, the spiny toad, Bufo spinosus. We measured pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen and biological oxygen demand of water and levels of heavy metals in toad skin using an atomic absorption flame spectrophotometer. Lead (Pb) concentration in water and in toad skin at all sites exceeded respectively 60 and 96 times the standard reference values. The heavy metal concentrations, in descending order, in water and in male toad skin were as follows: Pb [ Fe [ Cu [ Zn and Fe [ Pb [ Zn [ Cu respectively. This study highlights the ecological status of the surrounding areas upstream of the Medjarda basin as being a point source of heavy metal pollution. It is further stated that a non-invasive skin removal is an ethically sound technique to evaluate heavy metal accumulation in aquatic animals like
& Noureddine Guezgouz [email protected] & Giulia Guerriero [email protected] 1
Water and Environmental Science and Technology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Mohamed Cherif Messaadia University, Souk-Ahras, Algeria
2
Comparative Endocrinology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
3
Animal Ecophysiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural and Life Sciences, Badji Mokhtar University of Annaba, Annaba, Algeria
4
Interdepartmental Research Centre for Environment (CIRAm), University of Naples Federico II, 80134 Naples, Italy
toad, without euthanizing the specimens and making any loss to biodiversity of the species. Keywords Heavy metal Medjarda basin Spiny toad Skin biopsy Non-invasive methods
Introduction The quality of groundwater and surface water in rural and urban environments is influenced by natural and anthropogenic processes (Tang et al. 2014; Fasulo et al. 2015; Lecomte et al. 2017; Vardhan et al. 2019). With anthropogenic human activities, there has been a significant increase in the discharge of industrial waste into the environment, especially in urban areas, which creates an alarming situation for human life and aquatic biota (Jan et al. 2015; Lecomte et al. 2017; Guerriero et al. 2019). The anthropogenic factors include discharge of organic pollutants such as drugs, personal care products, steroids, hormones, endocrine disruptors, surfactants, phosphoric esters, flame retardants, industrial additives and siloxanes into natural freshwater bodies (Jaouad
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