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Macrobenthic invertebrates as bioindicators of trace elements in high-mountain lakes

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Abstract

Alpine lakes are extreme ecosystems located in remote areas and populated by few but well-adapted species. Because of their remote location, they are often considered pristine, unpolluted ecosystems. Since the 1980s, however, they have been affected by global anthropogenic impacts. Macrobenthic invertebrates play a pivotal role in these ecosystems and can be used as bioindicators also for monitoring the accumulation of trace elements. We characterized the macrobenthic invertebrates community of Balma Lake (Cottian Alps, Northwest Italy) and Dimon Lake (Carnic Alps, Northeast Italy) in summer and autumn and measured the levels of nine trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Se, Zn) in the most abundant taxa (Chironomidae and Oligochaeta in both lakes and Hirudinea in Dimon Lake) in both seasons. The highest levels of trace elements were recorded for Fe, Cu, and Zn according to their environmental availability and their function as essential elements. The total amount of trace elements was highest for the Chironomidae from both lakes compared to the other two taxa. As, Cd, Pb, and Zn were measured in sediment to calculate bioaccumulation factor (BAF) values. The amount of elements in sediment and macrobenthic invertebrates was higher for Dimon Lake, suggesting a greater flux via precipitation of contaminants from the lowland. The BAF values were decreased with increasing trace elements concentration in sediment, indicating mechanisms of elements excretion in biota where the environment is contaminated. This study is the first to report on the use of macrobenthic invertebrates to monitor trace elements in Alpine lakes.

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Acknowledgments

The Authors would like to thank the Municipalities of Ligosullo (UD) and Coazze (TO) for their hospitality, Club Alpino Italiano - Coazze (Alfio Usseglio), Marco Rosa Clot and Luca Rosa Clot (GeoStudio RC, Giaveno, Torino), and Ente di Gestione delle Aree Protette delle Alpi Cozie (Michele Ottino) for their technical support.

Funding

This study was financed in part by Fondazione CRT “Richieste Ordinarie” Progetto ALPLA (18D03).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, via Giorgieri 10, 34127, Trieste, Italy

    Paolo Pastorino, Elisabetta Pizzul, Marco Bertoli & Selene Perilli

  2. The Veterinary Medical Research Institute for Piemonte, Liguria and Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154, Torino, Italy

    Paolo Pastorino, Paola Brizio, Maria Cesarina Abete, Marino Prearo & Stefania Squadrone

  3. Department of Mathematics and Geosciences, University of Trieste, via Weiss 2, 34127, Trieste, Italy

    Gianguido Salvi

  4. Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, via Vienna 2, 07100, Sassari, Italy

    Giuseppe Esposito

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  1. Paolo Pastorino
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Pastorino, P., Pizzul, E., Bertoli, M. et al. Macrobenthic invertebrates as bioindicators of trace elements in high-mountain lakes. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 5958–5970 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07325-x

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