T7 PM Metals and Bioaccumulation
Tuesday, 15 November 2005: 1:50 PM - 5:30 PM in 327-329

(INO-1117-644808) Lead accumulation in invertebrate prey: development of exposure protocols and determination of trophically available fractions.

Inouye, Laura¹, Jones, Robert¹, Yoo, Leslie¹, ¹ USACE-ERDC, Vicksburg, MS, USA

ABSTRACT- As part of an investigation determining the trophically available fraction of metals in a model terrestrial food chain (invertebrate prey to Western Fence Lizards), we evaluated the ability of several invertebrate prey to bioaccumulate lead and their ability to form metals rich granules, which are hypothesized to be non-available to predators. Crickets (Acheta doemsticus), tenebroid beetle larvae (Tenebrio molitor), and sowbugs (Porcellio scaber) were selected as model prey organisms. A major barrier is the lack of standard exposure methodologies for these species, as each species has particular requirements that create challenges for designing exposure chambers. We were able to devise exposure conditions for all three species that allows for long-term exposure studies. Data for prey organisms indicate that they do accumulate lead from contaminated food, and that a large portion of the accumulated metal is in fractions predicted to be unavailable to predator species.

Key words: metal-rich granules, lead, trophic transfer