Di Veroli Alessandra, Selvaggi Roberta, Goretti Enzo
Dipartimento di Biologia Cellulare e Ambientale, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via Elce Di Sotto, 06123 Perugia, Italy.
J Environ Monit. 2012 May;14(5):1473-8. doi: 10.1039/c2em10882h. Epub 2012 Mar 28.
The aim of the present study was to monitor mouthpart deformities of Chironomus plumosus (Insecta-Diptera) in Lake Trasimeno (2000-2010) in relation with sediment contamination by heavy metals, which is one of the main causes of deformity induction. In Lake Trasimeno, concentrations of heavy metals in the investigated littoral zone were low, in comparison with those of the central area. By contrast, the incidence of deformities was much higher in the littoral station (2006-2009) than in the central area. In the littoral zone, the deformities progressively decreased and by 2010 reached values similar to those observed in the central area (2000-2002, 2010). This decrease was mainly due to the reduction of severe deformities, thus indicating an environmental quality recovery of this littoral sector. Chemical analysis revealed that the higher incidence of deformities in the littoral zone was not caused by heavy metal contamination, unless they may have contributed to a joint action with other toxicants. The present study on Lake Trasimeno provided additional evidence that chironomid mouthpart deformities can be used in biomonitoring programs to evaluate sediment contamination by toxicants. Since mouthpart deformities may also be induced by compounds not included in routine chemical analyses, they may better reflect sediment quality than chemical analysis alone.
本研究的目的是监测特拉西梅诺湖（2000 - 2010年）中华摇蚊（昆虫纲 - 双翅目）口器畸形情况，以及其与重金属沉积物污染的关系，重金属沉积物污染是导致畸形的主要原因之一。与中部地区相比，特拉西梅诺湖调查的沿岸带重金属浓度较低。相比之下，沿岸站点（2006 - 2009年）的畸形发生率远高于中部地区。在沿岸带，畸形情况逐渐减少，到2010年达到与中部地区（2000 - 2002年，2010年）观察到的值相似的水平。这种减少主要是由于严重畸形的减少，从而表明该沿岸区域环境质量有所恢复。化学分析表明，沿岸带较高的畸形发生率并非由重金属污染导致，除非它们可能与其他有毒物质共同作用。本研究关于特拉西梅诺湖的结果提供了更多证据，证明摇蚊口器畸形可用于生物监测项目，以评估有毒物质对沉积物的污染。由于口器畸形也可能由常规化学分析未涵盖的化合物引起，它们可能比单独的化学分析更能反映沉积物质量。
