Gutiérrez Miriam, Molero Rafael, Gaju Miquel, van der Steen Josef, Porrini Claudio, Ruiz José Antonio
Apoidea, Spin-off from University of Córdoba, Font del Riego 38, 14009, Córdoba, Spain.
Department of Zoology, University of Córdoba, 14071, Córdoba, Spain.
Environ Monit Assess. 2015 Oct;187(10):651. doi: 10.1007/s10661-015-4877-8. Epub 2015 Sep 28.
Due to features that make them outstanding environmental bioindicator, colonies of Apis mellifera are being used to study environmental pollution. The primary objective of this research was to use honeybee colonies to identify heavy metals and determine their utility for environmental management. Five stations each with two A. mellifera hives were strategically located in urban, industrial, agricultural and forested areas within the municipality of Córdoba (Spain), and foraging bees were collected from April to December in 2007, 2009 and 2010 to analyse spatial and temporal variation in Pb, Cr, Ni and Cd pollution. Metal concentrations, in milligram per kilogram of honeybee, were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Significant differences in concentrations were found among the various locations and periods. The highest number of values exceeding the upper reference thresholds proposed for this study (Pb, 0.7 mg/kg; Cr, 0.12 mg/kg; Ni, 0.3 mg/kg; and Cd, 0.1 mg/kg) was observed for Pb and Cr (6.25% respectively), station S4 (13.22%), year 2007 (20.83%) and in months of May and July (11.90% each). Regarding the Cd, which was analysed only in 2010, the highest number of values exceeding the upper reference thresholds was 40%. Biomonitoring with colonies of A. mellifera could contribute to improved surveillance and control systems for atmospheric pollution by integrating qualitative and quantitative assessments, thus facilitating prevention and readiness in the event of environmental crises.
由于具有使其成为杰出环境生物指示物的特征，意大利蜜蜂蜂群正被用于研究环境污染。本研究的主要目的是利用蜜蜂蜂群识别重金属并确定它们在环境管理中的效用。在西班牙科尔多瓦市的城市、工业、农业和森林地区，战略性地设置了五个站点，每个站点有两个意大利蜜蜂蜂箱，于2007年、2009年和2010年的4月至12月采集觅食蜜蜂，以分析铅、铬、镍和镉污染的空间和时间变化。通过电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法和石墨炉原子吸收分光光度法测定每千克蜜蜂中的金属浓度（毫克）。在不同地点和时期发现浓度存在显著差异。铅和铬超过本研究提出的参考上限阈值（铅，0.7毫克/千克；铬，0.12毫克/千克；镍，0.3毫克/千克；镉，0.1毫克/千克）的数值最多（分别为6.25%），站点S4（13.22%），2007年（20.83%）以及5月和7月（各11.90%）。关于仅在2010年分析的镉，超过参考上限阈值的数值最多为40%。通过意大利蜜蜂蜂群进行生物监测，通过整合定性和定量评估，有助于改进大气污染监测和控制系统，从而在环境危机发生时促进预防和应对准备。
