We investigated the potential effects of different
land use and other environmental factors on animals living in a contaminated
environment. The study site in Kabwe, Zambia, is currently undergoing
urban expansion, while lead contamination from former mining activities
is still prevalent. We focused on a habitat generalist lizards (Trachylepis wahlbergii). The livers, lungs, blood,
and stomach contents of 224 lizards were analyzed for their lead,
zinc, cadmium, copper, nickel, and arsenic concentrations. Habitat
types were categorized based on vegetation data obtained from satellite
images. Multiple regression analysis revealed that land use categories
of habitats and three other factors significantly affected lead concentrations
in the lizards. Further investigation suggested that the lead concentrations
in lizards living in bare fields were higher than expected based on
the distance from the contaminant source, while those in lizards living
in green fields were lower than expected. In addition, the lead concentration
of lungs was higher than that of the liver in 19% of the lizards,
implying direct exposure to lead via dust inhalation besides digestive
exposure. Since vegetation reduces the production of dust from surface
soil, it is plausible that dust from the mine is one of the contamination
sources and that vegetation can reduce exposure to this.
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