Facing the threat: common yellowjacket wasps as indicators of heavy metal pollution

Oksana Skaldina,Mikko Kolehmainen,Jouni Sorvari,Robert Ciszek,Sirpa Peräniemi

doi:10.1007/s11356-020-09107-2

Oksana Skaldina, Mikko Kolehmainen + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09107-2

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Abstract

We investigated the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris as a bioindicator and biomonitor of metals in the industrial area. Using traps, we collected 257 yellowjackets along a pollution gradient in the Harjavalta Cu-Ni smelter in Southwest Finland. Our method detected metal elements such as arsenic (As), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and mercury (Hg) in wasps. The data analyses revealed V. vulgaris can be a proper indicator for As, Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, and Pb, rather than for Fe and Zn contamination. Body burdens of As, Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, and Pb decreased with an increase in distance from smelter. Enrichment factor (EF) followed the pattern Pb ˃ Cd ˃ As ˃ Co ˃ Cu ˃ Ni. The highest bioaccumulation (BAF) values were revealed for Cd (5.9) and the lowest for Pb (0.1). Specially designed software (WaspFacer) allowed revealing body burdens of As, Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, and Pb to be associated with rather smaller than more asymmetric facial colour markings in yellowjackets. These results add to the body of literature on how heavy metal contaminants can have tangible phenotypic effects on insects and open future opportunities for using wasps as indicators of metal pollution.

Highlights

In terrestrial environments, metals originate from a variety of sources such as geogenic, atmospheric, industrial, transport, domestic, agricultural, and pharmaceutical (Martin and Coughtrey 1982)
The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method revealed the presence of metal elements and their body burdens in yellowjackets such as As—from 0.7 to 40.7; cobalt Co—from 0.1 to 841, Cu—from 28 to 289; Cd—from 0.1 to 19.9; Fe—from 143 to 8316; Ni—from 0.7 to 5502; Pb—from 0.1 to 18.3; Zn—from 50 to 13,381
We revealed that when assessing distance as a gradient, body burdens for the elements such as As, Cu, Co, Cd, Fe, Ni, and Pd in wasps were decreasing, but not the concentrations of Zn

Summary

Introduction

Metals originate from a variety of sources such as geogenic, atmospheric, industrial, transport, domestic, agricultural, and pharmaceutical (Martin and Coughtrey 1982). The pathways for metals entering the soil include runoff from industrial sites and roads, metal-based pesticides, phosphate fertilizers, sewer sludge, and atmospheric particle deposition (Gall et al 2015). Elements such as cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), selenium (Se), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) are essential in trace levels as micronutrients for plants, animals, and humans. Their excessive uptake might cause a toxic effect on organisms (Bodgen and Klevay 2000). Toxic heavy metals can remain in terrestrial environments for years, accumulating

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