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Salvatore Seminara

  • 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.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 13 (3): 0617-0621 - MONOGRAPH

    Francesco Giuseppe Galluzzo, Valentina Cumbo, Gaetano Cammilleri, Andrea Macaluso, Antonio Vella, Gianluigi Maria Lo Dico, Vincenzo Ferrantelli & Salvatore Seminara
    Comparison between aluminum bioaccumulation in samples of the Muscovy duck Cairina moschata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Aves Anatidae) from the city and the country
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2022.13.3.617.621

    ABSTRACT
    Cairina moschata (Linnaeus, 1758) is an anatid originating from South America, easily adapted to the European climate. In this work, feathers and blood were used as samples from living individuals to evaluate the bioaccumulation of aluminum. The determination of Al accumulation was performed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The analysis was conducted in the “Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia” (Palermo, Italy) with validated methods (accredited by ACCREDIA) for biodiversity monitoring and analysis of fauna samples. Samples were collected from a total of twenty individuals of C. moschata, ten samples coming from a park in the city center of Palermo (Southern Italy, Parco d’Orleans), and ten from the field of Monreale (Palermo). Blood from city samples showed a higher level of aluminum than city samples; feathers have had an opposite trend. Al median value determined in blood was ±4,27259 mg/Kg and ±2,61815 mg/Kg respectively for the city (Palermo) and Monreale. In feathers, the median value was ± 402,24218 for samples collected in city and ±1260,75603 for samples collected in Monreale. The concentration levels of Al in feathers were higher in Monreale samples than in Parco D’Orleans, probably because the individuals that live in nature attend the reservoirs where pollutants are poured.