Parasites as accumulation indicators of heavy metal pollution |
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| Authors: | Sures B Siddall R Taraschewski H |
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| Institution: | 1. Ghent University, Department of Biology, Marine Biology Research Unit, Krijgslaan 281/S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;2. Ghent University, Department of Applied Ecology and Environmental Biology, Aquatic Ecology Research Unit, Coupure Links 653, geb. A, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;3. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, OD Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium;4. University of Bielefeld, Department of Animal Ecology, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany;1. University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA;2. University of Georgia, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Athens, GA 30602, USA |
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| Abstract: | Parasites are attracting increasing interest from parasite ecologists as potential indicators of environmental quality because of the variety of ways in which they respond to anthropogenic pollution. However, until recently, little was known about the accumulation of toxins within parasites. Certain parasites, particularly intestinal acanthocephalans and cestodes of fish, can accumulate heavy metals at concentrations that are orders of magnitude higher than those in the host tissues or the environment. In this review, Bernd Sures, Roy Siddall and Horst Taraschewski discuss the recently described phenomenon of conspicuous metal accumulation by parasites and how this might be applied to environmental monitoring. They also suggest how environmental science and parasitology might profit from each other in the near future. |
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