Use of the land snail Helix aspersa for monitoring heavy metal soil contamination in Northeast Algeria

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of anthropogenic activities on soil quality using the land snail Helix aspersa as a bioindicator. Soil samples and snails were collected from several sites in Northeast Algeria during the summer and winter of 2010. All of the sites were chosen due to their proximity to industrial factories-a potential source of soil pollution via heavy metal contamination. The concentration of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Mn, and Fe) in soil samples was analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Activity levels of glutathione S-transferase (GST) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE), indicators of oxidative stress and neurotoxicity, respectively, were measured in snails collected from each site. GST and AChE activity were found to vary between sites and by season. The highest levels of GST activity were registered during the summer at sites closest to potential sources of pollution. AChE activity levels also peaked during the summer with the highest values recorded at the site in El Hadjar. These increased levels of bioindicative stress response correlated with increasing metal concentration in soil samples collected at each site.

Assessment of the State of the Terrestrial Environment in Skikda Region (Algeria) Using Enzymatic Activity and Energy Reserve Contents of Land Snails, Cantareus Aspersus

“…Hence, the increase of GST activity could be due to the pollutants-inducing the activation of the natural antioxidant defense systems (Elia et al, 2007). Our result coincides with that of Larba and Soltani (2014) who reported that GST activity was significantly increased in the digestive gland of the land snails C. aspersus collected from several sites in Northeast Algeria. An activation of GST has been also reported in this species collected from the same sites exposed to metallic pollution (Bairi et al, 2020;Abdel-Halim et al, 2013).…”

“…In accordance with this result, the decrease in AChE activity was reported in the head of Cantareus aspersus collected from the same north-east Algerian sites compared to snails of the reference site (El Kala). This is likely explained by the metal pollution with high concentrations of Fe, Al2O3, MgO and FeO (Douafer et al, 2020) and Fe, Mn, Pb, and Cd (Larba and Soltani, 2014). Bairi et al (2020) have reported inhibition of AChE activity in C. aspersus collected from the site of El Hadjar.…”

“…Although environmental pollution harmfully affects organism metabolism, in addition to many other effects, pollution monitoring is a necessary part in terms of quantifying pollutant amounts and pollution detection problems. C. aspersus has been commonly used as sentinel species for monitoring metallic pollution (Larba and Soltani, 2014) and soil quality (Bairi et al, 2020) in several sites of Northeast Algeria. Seasonal responses of two biomarkers (GSH and AChE) in this land snail and its relationship with the soil physic-chemical factors were performed in five sites (National Park of El Kala, EL Bouni, Sidi Amar, Nechmaya and Guelma) of Northeast Algeria (Douafer et al, 2020).…”

Heavy Metals Assessment in the Medjerda River Basin (Northeastern Algeria): A Preliminary Water Analysis and Toad Skin Biopsy

“…Such assessment can avoid a serious impact on the global biodiversity (Ficken and Byrne 2013;Jan et al 2015;Guerriero et al 2018a). Many regions in Algeria have been developed without adequate planning resulting in soils and water reported as being heavily polluted with various metals including mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), lithium (Li), cadmium (Cd ) and chromium (Cr) (Tahar and Keltoum 2011;Benhaddya and Hadjel 2014;Larba and Soltani 2014;Boudia et al 2019;Talbi and Kachi 2019). Evidence of different metals also appears in the waters of Medjarda River, an urban river of Souk-Ahras City in Northeastern Algeria.…”

Terrestrial gastropod diversity, distribution and abundance in areas with and without anthropogenic disturbances, Northeast Algeria

“…Boudechiche (2007), focused on helicoidal biodiversity in El-Kala (northeast of Algeria). The research of Larba and Soltani (2014) approached gastropods as bioindicators of the environmental quality in the northeast of Algeria and ultimately, Bouaziz-Yahiatene and Medjdoub-Bensaad' report, in 2016, investigated the diversity of the malacofauna present in the Great Kabylia (north of Algeria). Nevertheless, the regions of Constantine and Oum-El-Bouaghi in northeastern Algeria have been so far a virgin terrain.…”