Use of Two Aquatic Snail Species as Bioindicators of Heavy Metals in Tigris River-Baghdad

Harith Saeed Al-Warid; Hayder Z Ali; Ghassan  Nissan; Abbas  Haider; Ahmed  Yosef

doi:10.24996/ijs.2020.61.7.6

Authors

Harith Saeed Al-Warid Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6945-2652
Hayder Z Ali Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9265-8971
Ghassan Nissan Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
Abbas Haider Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
Ahmed Yosef Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24996/ijs.2020.61.7.6

Keywords:

Bellamya bengalensis, Bioindicator, heavy metals, Physella acuta, Tigris River

Abstract

Thirty individuals of Bellamya bengalensis and Physella acuta were collected and identified from the Tigris River in Baghdad during the period between October to November 2017. The efficiency of bioaccumulation of the two species as bioindicators for aquatic heavy metal pollution with Cd, Ni, Pb and Cu was investigated. Both snail species had the ability to accumulate heavy metals. The mean of Ni concentration in soft tissues of both snails was 1.53 ppm while the mean concentration of other heavy metals was significantly lower; they reached 0.51 ppm, 0.36 ppm and 0.29 ppm, respectively. While no significant differences between B. bengalensis and P.acuta were noticed in the ability to accumulate the heavy metals. It is concluded that both snails shared the features of good bioindicators due to their sensitivity to pollution.: