Bioaccumulation of eight heavy metals in cave animals from Dashui and Malang caves, Guizhou Province, China

Abstract

Eight heavy metals content in the dominant animal groups, soil and water in Malang and Dashui caves were examined. The results showed that zinc contents in Porcellio scaber from Dashui and Malang caves were 448.80 and 598.00 mg/kg, respectively, which is the highest among all these 8 metals, while Pb was not detected in Diestrammena marmorata and Rhinolophidae pearsoni, suggesting that both animals were incapable of or poor in Pb accumulation. The highest average value of enrichment coefficient for soil-born Cd in animals from Dashui cave was 4.15, while that for water-born Zn was 91723.84. By contrast, the highest average value of enrichment coefficient for soil-born Cd in animals from Malang cave was 8.48, and that for water-born Zn was 708102.64.

Key words: Bioaccumulation, heavy metal, cave animals, China.