Abstract
This study aimed to examine the transfer of nanoparticles within a terrestrial food chain. Oviposited eggs of the swallowtail butterfly (Atrophaneura alcinous) were hatched on the leaves of the host plant (Aristolochia debilis), and the root stock and root hairs were submerged in a suspension of 10 μg/ml titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) in a 100 ml bottle. The presence of TiO2-NPs in the veins of the leaves was confirmed by X-ray analytical microscopy (X-ray AM). The hatched 1st instar larvae fed on the leaves to moult into 2nd instar larvae. Small agglomerates of TiO2-NPs less than 150 nm in diameter were identified in the vascular tissue of the exposed plant, the midgut and the excreta of the larvae by transmission electron microscopy. The image of Ti elemental mapping by X-ray AM was analysed with the quantitative spatial information mapping (QSIM) technique. The results demonstrated that TiO2-NPs were transferred from the plant to the larvae and they were disseminated throughout the environment via larval excreta.
Highlights
This study aimed to examine the transfer of nanoparticles within a terrestrial food chain
The elemental mapping image of K was rich in the veins of the leaf and the stem, Ti image is scarce and recorded as high intensity dots (Fig. 1e)
The present work is the first indication obtained in vivo with X-ray AM of the transfer of NPs in the trophic food chain
Summary
This study aimed to examine the transfer of nanoparticles within a terrestrial food chain. The results demonstrated that TiO2-NPs were transferred from the plant to the larvae and they were disseminated throughout the environment via larval excreta. Investigations into the environmental fate, the potential bioaccumulation and, in particular, the transfer of NPs throughout the food chain remain limited. The food chain transfer of TiO2-NPs in an aquatic environment was reported via the oral uptake of zooplankton (Daphnia magna), which transferred TiO2-NPs to zebrafish (Danio rerio) through aqueous and dietary exposure in kinetic models. The transfer of polystyrene NPs from algae (Scenedesmus sp.) and zooplankton (D. magna) to a fish (Carassius carassius) through a food chain has been observed by fluorescence microscopy[12]. Food chain transfers generally occur from plants to animals. NPs in these plant models have been found to cause leaf necrosis, inhibit seedling root elongation and affect root growth
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
