abstract: Edible snails, kept at an adaptation temperature (AT) of 20°C, and fed with lettuce, show significant increases in levels of Zn (+84%) and Pb (+91%) in the hemolymph, Zn (+25%) in foot muscle, and Fe (+85%) and Zn (+41%) in the albumin gland.At an adaptation temperature of 5°C aestivating edible snails, which have closed the aperture of their shells with a skin slime, exhibit a lower content of Fe, Zn, and Pb in the hemolymph and other organs than do hungry edible snails at AT=20°C.The use of the edible snail on cultivated land as an indicator of levels of Fe, Zn, and Pb has the important advantage of these elements are ingested with the food and are at least temporarily stored in the hemolymph and certain organs.
authors.affiliation: II. Zoologisches Institut der Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Deutschland.|Institut für Arbeits- und Sozialmedizin der Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Karl-Friedrich
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Meincke
authors.affiliation: II. Zoologisches Institut der Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Deutschland.|Institut für Arbeits- und Sozialmedizin der Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Schaller