Antonino Pisano

• Biodiversity Journal, 13 (3): 0623-0626 - MONOGRAPH

  Valentina Cumbo, Francesco Giuseppe Galluzzo, Gaetano Cammilleri, Antonio Vella, Andrea Macaluso, Ilaria Rizzuto, Antonino Pisano, Vincenzo Ferrantelli & Salvatore Seminara
  Testing heavy metals biomonitoring through birds of prey as top predators
  https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2022.13.3.623.626

  ABSTRACT
  The Experimental Zooprofilactic Institute of Sicily (Italy) has great opportunities and validated methods (accreditated by an important national control unit like ACCREDIA) for biodiversity monitoring and analysis of fauna samples. Fauna recovery centers of Bosco di Ficuzza (Palermo) and Colli San Rizzo (Messina) routinely send dead specimens to the Institute to perform every category of analysis. Valuating heavy metals content in top predators is a strong instrument for territory and biodiversity health monitoring to take actions for management. In this study some specimen members of Buteo buteo (Linneus, 1758) species were investigated for Pb and Cd content. The methodology used for determination was performed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) method. Results show that in sample 1 Pb levels exceed cut-off values in organs: the liver accumulate a concentration of 4.668 mg/Kg and the muscle 0.200 mg/Kg. For sample 2, Pb and Cd were absent in both organs. Sample 3 reveals a very high concentration of Pb in the liver, with a value of 2.928 mg/Kg; this is probably due to a reiterated presence in the diet of prey killed by lead pellets. Liver of sample 3 accumulated even an high concentration of Cd (3.948 mg/Kg) justified by prey consumption, as rock partridge, rats or rabbits that probably feed on plants treated with agrochemicals.

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