engleski

Evaluation of metal levels in soft and hard tissues of brown trout and fish intestinal parasites as indicators of wastewater impact in the karst Krka River

Assessing heavy metal pollution of rivers usually involves the evaluation of metal levels in river water and organisms as integrative long-term indicators, mostly using their liver, gills or kidney as indicator organs. Here we present a novel approach, which involves metal measurement in: a) the cell cytosol, as metabolically available fraction ; b) fish calcified structures (otoliths and scales), which reflect metal exposure over a long-term period ; c) fish intestinal parasites, acanthocephalans, as organisms with high metal accumulation potential and rapid response to metal changes. To assess the potential pollution of the karst Krka River by industrial and municipal wastewaters, concentrations of Fe, Mg, Mn, Rb, Sr, Tl and Zn in soft (muscle tissue, liver cytosol) and hard tissues (otoliths, scales) of brown trout (Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758), acanthocephalans (Dentitruncus truttae Sinzar, 1955) and water samples from a reference (river source) and a potentially polluted location were measured by HR ICPMS(soft tissues and water samples) and LA ICP- MS (scales and otoliths). Concentrations of most metals, especially of Fe, Mn, Sr and Zn, were higher in water samples, acanthocephalans and all types of fish tissues from the polluted compared to the reference site, reflecting short- and long- term metal exposure. Exceptions were Rb and Tl concentrations, which were higher in organisms but not in the respective water samples from the reference site, so this requires further investigations. Corresponding metal levels in soft and hard fish tissues and acanthocephalans at the polluted site indicated the wastewater impact and the need of strict monitoring.

otoliths ; scales ; acanthocephalans ; LA ICP-MS ; metal pollution

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