Assessment of biotransfer and bioaccumulation of cadmium, lead and zinc from fly ash amended soil in mustard-aphid-beetle food chain.
The present study investigates the extent of biotransfer and bioaccumulation of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) from fly ash amended soil in mustard (Brassica juncea)-aphid (Lipaphis erysimi)-beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) food chain and its subsequent implications for the beetle. The soil was amended with fly ash at the rates of 0, 5, 10, 20 and 40% (w/w). Our results showed that the uptake of Cd, Pb and Zn from soil to mustard root increased with the increase in fly ash application rates, but their root to shoot translocation was relatively restricted. Increase in chlorophyll content and dry mass of mustard plant on treatments ≥20% even at elevated accumulation of Cd (1.67mgkg-1), Pb (18.25mgkg-1) and Zn (74.45mgkg-1dry weight) in its shoot showed relatively higher tolerance of selected mustard cultivar to heavy metal stress. The transfer coefficient (TC1) of Cd from mustard shoot to aphid was always >1, indicating that Cd biomagnified in aphids at second trophic level. But, there was no biomagnification of Cd in adult beetles at third trophic level. Zinc accumulation was 2.06 to 2.40 times more in aphids than their corresponding host shoots and 1.26-1.35 times more in adult beetles than their prey (aphids) on which they fed. Lead was only metal whose TC was <1 at both second and third trophic levels. The elimination of Cd via honeydew of aphids was most efficient as the ratio of metal in honeydew to aphid (ranging from 0.21 to 0.26) was higher than the Pb (0.16 to 0.20) and Zn (0.07 to 0.09). The statistically consistent (p>0.05) biomass and predation rate of predatory beetles indicated that all levels of soil amendments with fly ash did not have any lethal or sub-lethal effects on beetles.
Environmental Botany Division, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India. Electronic address: irfanmudasir@gmail.com.
Mudasir Irfan
MI
Dar
Department of Life and Environmental Science, The Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Poole, Dorset BH12 5BB, UK.
Iain D
ID
Green
Environmental Botany Division, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India.
Mohd Irfan
MI
Naikoo
Environmental Botany Division, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India.
Fareed Ahmad
FA
Khan
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia.
Abid Ali
AA
Ansari
Gene Tox Laboratory, Division of Genetics, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India.
Mohd Iqbal
MI
Lone
D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids; D002104:Cadmium / Q000378:metabolism; D060729:Coal Ash; D001517:Coleoptera; D020387:Food Chain; D007854:Lead / Q000378:metabolism; D009149:Mustard Plant; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism
D060729:Coal Ash; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D002104:Cadmium; D007854:Lead; D015032:Zinc
Beetle; Bioaccumulation; Biotransfer; Food chain; Heavy metal; Mustard