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Animals as Biological Indicators of Pollution in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems

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A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecology and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 10165

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Tomza-Marciniak

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Guest Editor

Department of Animal Reproduction Biotechnology and Environmental Hygiene, West Pomeranian University of Technology, 71-270 Szczecin, Poland
Interests: environmental toxicology; biomonitoring; toxic elements; essential trace elements; polychlorinated hydrocarbons (PCBS, pesticides)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Animals play a very important role in environmental studies. Determining the concentration of pollutants in the abiotic components of the environment does not fully reflect the extent of the threat faced by humans and animals, mainly because of their different ranges of bioavailability. For this reason, environmental studies often measure chemical residues in the tissues and body fluids of animals that live in specific habitats. The use of animals as bioindicators/biomonitors makes it possible to determine not only the degree of environmental contamination but also the extent of exposure of living organisms to certain substances. Some species of animals may also be used as sentinels—i.e., early warning indicators of threats and their consequences for human health. This is possible because they live in the same environment as humans and are exposed to the same harmful factors.

The present Special Issue aims to demonstrate the diversity of research focusing on broadly understood environmental research, where animals can provide valuable information on the degree of contamination of various ecosystems and their level of exposure, allowing hazards to be identified and risk assessments to be performed.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

The use of animals in pollution monitoring and assessment;
The use of animals as biological indicators to direct or indirect estimates of pollutant exposure;
The use of animal sentinels to the early detection and identification of environmental hazards;
The synthesis of biomonitoring data with toxicological, epidemiological, and health data;
The design and development of biomonitoring systems.

Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Tomza-Marciniak
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

bioindicators
biomonitors
sentinel animals
pollution
terrestrial ecosystem
aquatic ecosystem
environment
environmental hazard
pollutant exposure
biomonitoring

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1286 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microsatellite Instability Assay as a Potential Approach to Evaluate Genotoxicity: Lead Exposure in a Nestling Passerine Bird at the Stage of Intensive Erythropoiesis

by Marcin Markowski, Adam Kaliński, Jarosław Wawrzyniak, Michał Glądalski, Joanna Skwarska and Jerzy Bańbura

Animals 2023, 13(8), 1325; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13081325 - 12 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1349

Abstract

Although many avian studies have investigated the toxic effects of lead on important biochemical and physiological processes, organ and system function, and behavior, studies evaluating the specific genotoxic effects of exposure to lead are scarce. Nowadays, rapid technological advances can provide new molecular techniques in this regard. In this study, as a novel approach in bird studies, we used a panel of ten microsatellite loci to investigate the microsatellite instability (MSI) in response to experimental lead intoxication in a common hole-nesting species, the great tit Parus major. For this purpose, an experiment based on an intentional single supplementation of a lead (II) acetate trihydrate compound was conducted, with the use of two different doses, applied to randomly chosen great tit nestlings from randomly selected broods, being at the stage of intensive erythropoiesis. Although this preliminary study did not find any MSI in the seven microsatellite markers retained for the final comparison, it contributes to the examination of this molecular technique in field conditions as being potentially applicable in ecotoxicological bird studies. We believe that certain issues should be considered in finding an explanation for our result. First, the single doses of lead used in this study may have been too weak to induce genetic instability. Second, the panel of microsatellite markers studied may have been unsusceptible to lead genotoxicity in general. Third, the relatively short time interval (5 days) between the experimental procedure (lead exposure) and the sampling of post-exposure material (blood) for genetic analyses could have limited the effect of lead genotoxicity. Further analyzes are needed to verify these findings and to evaluate the scope of application of the MSI analysis in wild bird population studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animals as Biological Indicators of Pollution in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

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20 pages, 1734 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mercury in Selected Abiotic and Biotic Elements in Two Lakes in Poland: Implications for Environmental Protection and Food Safety

by Monika Rajkowska-Myśliwiec and Mikołaj Protasowicki

Animals 2023, 13(4), 697; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13040697 - 16 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1457

Abstract

Mercury, which tends to bioaccumulate and biomagnify in aquatic food webs, poses a potential health risk to wildlife and to consumers of predatory fish in particular. Its concentration in biota can be high even at low environmental concentrations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine mercury in both abiotic (water and sediment) and biotic elements (common reed (Phragmites australis) and fish: pike (Esox lucius), bream (Abramis brama) and roach (Rutilus rutilus)) in the context of assessing the pollution of two lakes in Poland and the safety of fish consumers. The possibility of Hg biomagnification in fish was also considered. Mercury was determined by means of cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS). The concentrations of Hg in water and bottom sediments of Lake Ińsko were lower than in Lake Wisola. In the bottom sediments of both lakes, a positive correlation was found between the Hg content and organic matter. The concentration of mercury in the organs of common reed did not exceed 0.017 mg/kg dry weight (dw), and its distribution can be presented as follows: root > leaves > stems > rhizomes. In fish organs from both lakes, the average mercury content did not exceed 0.086 mg/kg of wet weight (ww) and in most cases it was the highest in pike. Higher values were only observed in the muscles and skin of roach. This indicates a lack of biomagnification in the relationships between planktivorous-predatory and benthivores-predatory fish. Based on the maximum levels of mercury in fish and the calculated parameters, i.e., estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ) and tolerable weekly intake (TWI), the muscles of the examined fish were found to be safe for consumption. The average dietary exposure to total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) was below 0.3% of the TWI. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animals as Biological Indicators of Pollution in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

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11 pages, 916 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Total Mercury Concentration in Organs of Eurasian Magpies (Pica pica) and Common Woodpigeons (Columba palumbus) from the Warsaw Municipal Area

by Ewa M. Skibniewska and Michał Skibniewski

Animals 2023, 13(4), 575; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13040575 - 6 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1276

Abstract

Mercury is a toxic element widely distributed in the natural environment, affecting animals’ health. It is released into the environment from both natural and anthropogenic sources. The present study analyzed the mercury concentrations in liver, kidney, heart and muscle tissue in two species of birds from the Warsaw area, which were used as bioindicators of local environmental pollution with this metal. The mercury content in the examined samples was determined using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) utilizing automatic mercury analyzer type AMA 254. The highest mercury content was found in the body of Eurasian magpies, in which it was 0.025; 0.021; 0.006; 0.0037 and 0.029 mg kg⁻¹ of tissue wet weight for kidney, liver, heart, thigh muscles and pectoral muscles, respectively. In the case of common woodpigeons, the content of this metal was significantly lower, amounting to 0.007; 0.005; 0.002; 0.001 and 0.001 mg∙kg⁻¹ wet weight for kidney, liver, heart, thigh muscles and pectoral muscles, respectively. In light of data from the available literature, the values obtained should be considered low, not causing a risk to animal health. The results obtained indicate low environmental exposure to this element. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animals as Biological Indicators of Pollution in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

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15 pages, 984 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Helminth Community Structure of Tits Cyanistes caeruleus and Parus major (Paridae) during Their Autumn Migration on the Southern Baltic Coast

by Izabella Rząd, Anna Okulewicz, Rusłan Sałamatin, Magdalena Szenejko, Remigiusz Panicz, Jarosław K. Nowakowski and Agata Stapf

Animals 2023, 13(3), 421; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13030421 - 26 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1941

Abstract

The research problem undertaken in this study is to determine the scale of infection of Eurasian blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus and Great tit Parus major and the biological diversity of their internal parasites, helminths. The aim of the study is to gain new knowledge about the structure of the helminth communities of the Eurasian blue tit and Great tit on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea during autumn migration to their wintering grounds. Helminths of tits were collected in 2008–2012 on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in Poland. PAST v. 2.11 software was used for the calculations. Barcoding DNA was used to identify trematodes initially classified based on morphological characters to the genera Leucochloridium and Urogonimus. Cestodes Anonchotaenia globata were recorded for the first time in Poland. The Eurasian blue tit is a new host in Poland for three species of helminths: cestode Monosertum parinum and filarial nematodes, Cardiofilaria pavlovskyi, and Diplotriaena henryi. The Great tit is a new host in Poland for trematode Urogonimus macrostomus, cestode A. globata and M. parinum, and filarial nematode Diplotriaena obtusa. The nematode C. pavlovskyi was the species most frequently recorded in both host species. A high degree of similarity was found between the component communities and infracommunities of helminths in Eurasian blue tit and Great tit. The new information provided in this study has increased our knowledge of the transmission of helminths in Central Europe. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animals as Biological Indicators of Pollution in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

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Review

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29 pages, 2006 KiB

Open AccessReview

Pets, Genuine Tools of Environmental Pollutant Detection

by Cristina Hegedus, Luisa Andronie, Paul Uiuiu, Eugen Jurco, Eva Andrea Lazar and Silvana Popescu

Animals 2023, 13(18), 2923; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13182923 - 14 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2485

Abstract

In a shared environment, our companion animals became unintended sentinels for pollutant exposure consequences, developing even earlier similar conditions to humans. This review focused on the human–pet cohabitation in an environment we all share. Alongside other species, canine and feline companions are veritable models in human medical research. The latency period for showing chronic exposure effects to pollutants is just a few years in them, compared to considerably more, decades in humans. Comparing the serum values of people and their companion animals can, for example, indicate the degree of poisonous lead load we are exposed to and of other substances as well. We can find 2.4 times higher perfluorochemicals from stain- and grease-proof coatings in canine companions, 23 times higher values of flame retardants in cats, and 5 times more mercury compared to the average levels tested in humans. All these represent early warning signals. Taking these into account, together with the animal welfare orientation of today’s society, finding non-invasive methods to detect the degree of environmental pollution in our animals becomes paramount, alongside the need to raise awareness of the risks carried by certain chemicals we knowingly use. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animals as Biological Indicators of Pollution in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

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