Physiological and histopathological responses of Porcellio laevis (Isopoda, Crustacea) as indicators of metal trace element contamination

Abstract

This study was designed to assess the impact of the mixture of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) on the bioaccumulation and the ultrastructural changes in the hepatopancreas of Porcellio laevis (Latreille, 1804) after 4 weeks of exposure to contaminated Quercus leaves under laboratory conditions. For each metal, four concentrations were used with four replicates for each concentration. Metal concentrations in the hepatopancreas and the rest of the body were determined using atomic absorption spectrometry. From the first week until the end of the experiment, a weight gain in P. laevis was observed particularly between the first and the end of exposure from 93.3 ± 18.22 mg fw to 105.22 ± 16.16 mg fw and from 106.4 ± 22.67 mg fw to 125.9 ± 23.9 mg fw for Mix1 and Mix4, respectively. Additionally, the determined metal trace elements (MTE) concentrations in the hepatopancreas were considerably higher compared to those in the rest of the body and seem to be dose‐dependent. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), some alterations were highlighted in the hepatopancreas. The main observed alterations were (a) the destruction of the microvilli border in a considerable portion of cells, (b) the increase of the lipid droplets with different shapes and sizes, (c) the increase in the number of the mitochondria, and (d) the appearance of TE in the form of B‐type granules. The obtained results confirmed the ability of P. laevis to deal with high amounts of MTE, suggesting its possible use in future soil's biomonitoring programs.

Physiological and behavioral responses of Orchestia gammarellus (Amphipoda, Talitridae) towards trace elements contamination soil

“…However, the highest concentration of cadmium induced the disorganization of microvilli, which undergo a progressive or a total destruction. The same effects on the brush border were described in P. scaber (Köhler et al, 1996), Armadillidium vulgare contaminated with an important concentration of cadmium and lead (Mazzei et al, 2014), Porcellio laevis (Ghemari et al, 2020) and L. italica subjected to mercury contamination (Longo et al, 2013). However, in O. mediterranea, the microvilli were affected by the lowest cadmium concentration (Jelassi, 2021).At the highest nominal concentration of zinc as well as cadmium, metal trace elements were numerous and present in the form of granules that were already described by Hopkin (1989).…”

“…These organisms, in direct contact with the different soil's horizons, are most exposed to contamination (Ghannem, Touaylia, & Boumaiza, 2018; Ghannem, Touaylia, & Mustapha, 2018; Kammenga et al, 2000). Today, some of invertebrate's species are used in ecotoxicity tests; it was the case of earthworms (Heikens, Peijnenburg, & Hendriks, 2001; Hobbelen, Koolhaas, & Van Gestel, 2006), insects (Ghannem, Khazri, Sellami, & Boumaiza, 2016; Ghannem, Touaylia, & Boumaiza, 2018; Ghannem, Touaylia, & Mustapha, 2018), snails (Samuel, & Rainbow, 2005), and the terrestrial isopods (Ghemari et al, 2020; Khemaissia et al, 2019a, 2019b) used to estimate the effects of pollutants following their survival, their growth, their reproductions, and avoidance behaviors.…”

“…Furthermore, the ethotoxicological aspect and the impact of trace elements on the physiology and especially on the locomotor behavior of Crustaceans in Tunisia has not received any attention except the researches of Khemaissia et al (2019a, 2019b), Jelassi, Khemaissia, et al (2019), Jelassi, Ghemari, et al (2019), Jelassi, Bohli‐Abderrazek, Ayari, and Nasri‐Ammar (2020), Jelassi, Hammami, Harzalli, and Nasri‐Ammar (2020), Jelassi, Hammami, Harzalli, and Nasri‐Ammar (2021), Jelassi, Khemaissia, et al (2020), and Ghemari et al (2020). Thus, this paper aimed to study the effects of trace elements, Cd and Zn, on the hepatopancreas ultrastructure of Orchestia gammarellus and on its locomotor activity rhythm under constant darkness.…”