Abstract
The mentum deformity incidence in Chironomus plumosus larvae to assess the environmental contamination level in Lake Trasimeno, Central Italy, was investigated. The survey lasted from May 2018 to August 2019. Fifty-one samplings were carried out: 34 in the littoral zone and 17 in the central zone. The deformity assessment was based on 737 and 2767 larval specimens of C. plumosus collected from the littoral and central zones, respectively. Comparison of the larval morphometric variables between normal and deformed specimens highlighted that the deformities did not cause alterations of the larval growth. The deformity incidence amounted to 7.22% in the whole Trasimeno’s ecosystem, reaching 8.28% in the littoral zone and 6.94% in the central zone. Among the different seasonal cohorts, the spring cohort had overall the highest deformity value (11.41%). The deformity type assessment protocol highlighted that the most common deformity type was “round/filed teeth” (64%). The results of this 2018–2019 survey revealed a low deformity incidence, within the background range of relatively low-impacted freshwaters. Comparison with previous investigations (2000–2010) of the same habitat showed a clear decrease of the deformity incidence. This study further contributes to the evaluation of the mentum deformity in chironomids that represent an indicator endpoint of the anthropogenic contamination level in freshwaters.
Highlights
Anthropic activities continuously add urban, industrial, and agricultural wastes into the environment
Common and widespread groups of pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls are dispersed into the environment forming a complex mixture whose toxic effects are difficult to quantify [1,2,3]
The benthic communities were mainly composed of Oligochaeta (Naididae) and Diptera: (Chironomidae)
Summary
Anthropic activities continuously add urban, industrial, and agricultural wastes into the environment. Common and widespread groups of pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls are dispersed into the environment forming a complex mixture whose toxic effects are difficult to quantify [1,2,3]. The set of contaminants contributing to the total toxic burden is not well known and, even when the exact composition is known, it is difficult to interpret the estimate of potential effects of simple additivity or synergism or antagonism [4]. Water 2020, 12, 1 mixture on the biota [5]. The rains draining the atmosphere and the soil carry pollutants into the water receptor of the underlying hydrographic basin [10,11]
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