Heavy metal contamination in a lizard, Agama stellio stellio, compared in urban, high altitude and agricultural, low altitude areas of north Greece

Journal Article · Sun Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997 · Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s001289900426· OSTI ID:530477

Loumbourdis, N S ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Thessaloniki (Greece)

Contamination from heavy metals is a serious problem recognized In most countries of the world. Direct methods of metal detection are applied to soil and water; Indirect methods use plants and animals as bioindicators. Reptiles have not been used as bioindicators for various reasons: difficulty in sampling, ancient fears, little economic Importance, difficulty in the laboratory etc. Since Invertebrates are the prey of most lizards, the uptake of metals through invertebrates is an important pathway. Heavy metals accumulate through food ingestion and by incidental soil ingestion of soil. Reptiles have recently started to be used as bioindicators of pesticides entering the environment, with great success. The environment in Greece has a burden of heavy metals. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain whether reptiles, especially lizards, can be used as bioindicators of heavy metal pollution by compacting indirectly the level of pollution of two areas differing to some extent ecologically In the vicinity of a large city and in the vicinity of cultivated areas. The bioindicator species was the lizard Agama stellio stellio. 28 refs., 1 tab.

• OSTI ID: 530477
• Journal Information: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Journal Name: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 58; ISSN 0007-4861; ISSN BECTA6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FARMS
HABITAT
LIZARDS
METALS
MOUNTAINS
URBAN AREAS