Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2020-2207 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2020-2207 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Environ Res. 2021 Apr;195:110800. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.110800. Epub 2021 Jan 30.
Honey from Apis mellifera is a useful and inexpensive biomonitor for mapping metal distributions in urban centers. The sampling resolution of a biomonitoring survey (e.g., city versus global scale) determines which geochemical processes are reflected in the results. This study presents Pb isotopic compositions and metal concentrations in honey from around the world, sampled at varying resolutions: honey from Canada (n = 21), the United States (n = 111), Belgium (n = 25), and New Zealand (n = 10), with additional samples from Afghanistan, Brazil, Cuba, Germany, Liberia, Taiwan, and Turkey. Honey was sampled at high resolution in two uniquely different land-use settings (New York Metro Area and the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i), at regional-scale resolution in eastern North America (including the Great Lakes region), and Pb isotopic compositions of all samples were compared on a global scale. At high sampling resolution, metal concentrations in honey reveal spatially significant concentration gradients: in New York City, metals associated with human activity and city infrastructure (e.g., Pb, Sb, Ti, V) are more concentrated in honey collected within the city compared to honey from upstate New York, and metal concentrations in honey from Kaua'i suggest polluting effects of nearby agricultural operations. At lower resolution (regional and global scales), lead isotopic compositions of honey are more useful than metal concentrations in revealing large-scale Pb processes (e.g., the enduring legacy of global leaded gasoline use throughout the twentieth century) and the continental origin of the honey. Lead isotopic compositions of honey collected from N. America (especially from the eastern USA) are more radiogenic (Pb/Pb: 1.132-1.253, Pb/Pb: 2.001-2.129) compared to European honey, and honey from New Zealand, which has the least radiogenic isotopic compositions measured in this study (Pb/Pb: 1.077-1.160, Pb/Pb: 2.090-2.187). Thus, biomonitoring using honey at different resolutions reflects differing processes and, to some extent, a honey terroir defined by the Pb isotopic composition. The data presented here provide important (and current) global context for future studies that utilize Pb isotopes in honey. Moreover, this study exhibits community science in action, as most of the honey was collected by collaborators around the world, working directly with local apiarists and hobby beekeepers.
来自 Apis mellifera 的蜂蜜是一种有用且廉价的生物监测指标，可用于绘制城市中心的金属分布情况。生物监测调查的采样分辨率（例如，城市与全球尺度）决定了哪些地球化学过程会反映在结果中。本研究展示了来自世界各地的蜂蜜中的 Pb 同位素组成和金属浓度，采样分辨率各不相同：来自加拿大（n=21）、美国（n=111）、比利时（n=25）和新西兰（n=10）的蜂蜜，此外还有来自阿富汗、巴西、古巴、德国、利比里亚、台湾和土耳其的蜂蜜样本。在两个独特的不同土地利用环境（纽约都会区和夏威夷考艾岛）中以高分辨率采样，在北美的东部地区（包括大湖区）以区域尺度分辨率采样，并在全球范围内比较了所有样本的 Pb 同位素组成。在高采样分辨率下，蜂蜜中的金属浓度揭示了空间上显著的浓度梯度：在纽约市，与人类活动和城市基础设施相关的金属（例如 Pb、Sb、Ti、V）在城市内采集的蜂蜜中比在纽约州北部采集的蜂蜜中更为集中，而考艾岛蜂蜜中的金属浓度表明附近农业作业的污染影响。在较低的分辨率（区域和全球尺度）下，蜂蜜的 Pb 同位素组成比金属浓度更能揭示大规模的 Pb 过程（例如，整个 20 世纪全球含铅汽油的持久影响）和蜂蜜的大陆起源。来自北美的蜂蜜（尤其是来自美国东部的蜂蜜）的 Pb 同位素组成比欧洲的蜂蜜更具放射性（Pb/Pb：1.132-1.253，Pb/Pb：2.001-2.129），而新西兰的蜂蜜则具有本研究中测量的放射性最低的同位素组成（Pb/Pb：1.077-1.160，Pb/Pb：2.090-2.187）。因此，使用不同分辨率的蜂蜜进行生物监测反映了不同的过程，并且在一定程度上反映了由 Pb 同位素组成定义的蜂蜜风土。本研究提供了未来利用蜂蜜中的 Pb 同位素进行研究的重要（和当前）全球背景。此外，本研究展示了社区科学的实际应用，因为大多数蜂蜜都是由世界各地的合作者收集的，他们直接与当地的养蜂人合作。
