Communities of oribatid mites and heavy metal accumulation in oribatid species in agricultural soils in Egypt impacted by waste water

Abstract

The continued use of waste water for irrigation of agricultural fields in Egypt may lead to accumulation of heavy metals in soils and adverse effects on soil-living communities. We investigated responses of oribatid communities to heavy metal contamination in mango plantations irrigated by the Ismailia canal in the Suez region. Mean concentrations of heavy metals determined in irrigation water were considerably above the recommended levels. Concentrations of metals in agricultural soil were however below the permissible levels. A comparison with concentrations of a typical uncontaminated soil in this area revealed that the Ismailia water canal used for irrigation of agricultural land has elevated levels of heavy metals. The results of our ecological survey showed that the abundance and structure of the soil oribatid communities were not influenced by levels of heavy metals in the soil. We also showed that the diversity index can be a valuable tool for assessing the possible impact of pollutants on different species of oribatid mites. The oribatid species appeared to be accumulating different amounts of heavy metals when characterised by their bioconcentration factors. Most species were poor zinc accumulators. The accumulation of heavy metals in the body of oribatids was not strictly determined by their body size or by the trophic level. In conclusion, our study showed that mango plantations impacted by waste water from the Ismailia canal are accumulating heavy metals in their soils above the background concentrations, but ecological effects on soil-living communities are not apparent yet.

Oribatid communities and heavy metal bioaccumulation in selected species associated with lichens in a heavily contaminated habitat

“…Cd concentrations in the oribatid bodies are the lowest and the least variable, except for Ceratozetes mediocris , which turned out to be an accumulator of this metal. Other authors did not observed a general rule for Cd accumulation by oribatids (El-Sharabasy and Ibrahim 2010 ; Janssen and Hogervorst 1993 ; Skubała and Kafel 2004 ; Skubała and Zaleski 2012 ; Zaitsev 1999 ).…”

Comparison of oribatid mites from agricultural soils with contrasting irrigation types in Hidalgo State, Mexico: a case study

“…This resistance was found in other studies in which there are soil invertebrates that can accumulate most of those metals in their bodies . Also, the recorded species, along with Zygoribatula connexa, which was the most abundant in B, have been frequently recorded in agricultural soils (Hubert, 2000;Ivan & Călugăr, 2013); even Scheloribates has been cited from environments polluted with heavy metals and metallurgic accumulations (Al-Assiuty et al, 2000;Corral & Iturrondobeitia, 2012;El-Sharabasy & Ibraim, 2010;Skubala, 1995).…”

“…This species has preference to soils with an acid pH which can indicate a high alteration. It has been suggested that such resistance can be related to its very high reproductive rate, because this species is parthenogenetic (El-Sharabasy & Ibraim 2010;Maraun et al, 2003;Vladislav et al, 2015). According to Aoki (1979), the oribatid mites which are more resistant to different kinds of pollution are members of the families Brachychthoniidae, Oppiidae, Oribatulidae, and Tectocepheidae, which except for Brachychthoniidae, were well represented in this study.…”

“…Among soil invertebrates, oribatid mites have been recorded as the group that can accumulate the highest heavy metal concentrations in different soils . The high concentration of heavy metals in soils can have a negative effect on oribatid mite richness and their reproduction (El-Sharabasy & Ibraim, 2010). Those negative effects can be direct by the poisoning of the specimens or indirect through the disturbance of the trophic web (Parmelee et al, 1993;Vladislav et al, 2015).…”

Heavy Metals Concentration in Mango (Mangifera indica L.) Grown around Some Gold Mining Areas of Zamfara State, Nigeria

“…Gold mining and processing entails breaking the ground surface to excavate the ore, crushing the ore and then using water and/or other chemicals such as cyanide and mercury to concentrate the gold through sluicing, panning, floating and leaching. This employs the use of local tools, heavy equipments that use petrol or gasoline, and sometimes explosives such as dynamite [6]. Mining processes lead to metals being released from their stable form into the environment and removal of large quantities of overburden waste materials that are continuously dispersed through erosion, wind action and effluent draining the waste into arable land, surface and ground waters, polluting air, soil, vegetation, changing or destroying aquatic habitats, affecting agricultural lands, and causing health problems to humans [7,8].…”