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Bull Environ Contam Toxicol (2011) 86:203207 DOI 10.1007/s00128-011-0194-2
Effects of the Metals Lead and Zinc on the Growth, Development, and Reproduction of Pardosa Astrigera (Araneae: Lycosidae)
Xiao-qiong Chen Zheng-tian Zhang
Ran Liu Xiu-Ling Zhang Jian Chen
Yu Peng
Received: 3 December 2010 / Accepted: 7 January 2011 / Published online: 22 January 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011
Abstract Metal pollution is a serious environmental problem worldwide, and severely threatens biological diversity and human health. In order to investigate the effects of metals on a potential indicator species of wolf spider, Pardosa astrigera (Araneae: Lycosidae), 3rd-instar spiderlings were exposed to metals by using sublethal concentrations of PbCl2 and ZnCl2 solutions as their drinking water. The total durations of development of
P. astrigera from the 3rd to 6th instars were signicantly longer than that of the control group, and females showed a sharp reduction in total egg number. Body weights were signicantly decreased in the mature spiders exposed to PbCl2 solutions and ZnCl2 solutions of high concentration (100 mM). These results suggest that detoxifying strategies deployed by P. astrigera against metal intoxication incur the costs of delayed development, and reduced growth and reproduction.
Keywords Pardosa astrigera Metal Body weight
Developmental duration Total egg number
One consequence of rapid development, industrialization, and urbanization is that the number and amounts of metals entering the soil, air, and water continue to grow (Sorvari et al. 2007). Metal pollution is now a serious issue in many countries, affecting a multitude of environments (Srivastava and Goyal 2010). Metals can accumulate in plants, and via food webs can cause harmful effects to herbivorous and pollinating insects and their predators, among other members of the biota. Biological indicator species are species that can be measured as surrogates for environmental health and levels of pollution before adverse environmental impacts become obvious. This eld of ecotoxicological research, as it relates to the accumulation of metals, focuses on the responses of indicator species to determine, for example, the rate and extent of metal accumulation in the body. A great deal of attention has been paid to the effects of metal pollution on insects (van Ooik et al. 2007). Metals can be absorbed from the soil through the roots of plants, and can also be absorbed...