Assessment of Heavy Metal Concentration in Tissues of Three Owl Species From Visakhapatnam, India

Sanchari Biswas, Ch Ramakrishna and Y A Maruthi

Assessment of Heavy Metal Concentration in Tissues of Three Owl Species From Visakhapatnam, India

2020

Sanchari Biswas, Ch Ramakrishna and Y A Maruthi

The occurrence of heavy metals into the environment through various natural and anthropogenic sources is inevitable due to their persistent nature. This study investigated the concentration of heavy metals lead (Pb), zinc (Zn) and chromium (Cr) in liver, kidney, muscle and bones of three different species of owls namely Indian Eagle Owl (Bubo bengalensis), Barn Owl (Tyto alba) and Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. Given their sentinel role, birds can be used as suitable and reliable indicators in monitoring the quality of the environment. From the study, it was observed that Bubo bengalensis accumulated the highest concentration of metals followed by Athene brama and Tyto alba. On an average, the concentration of Zn (1.67±1.40 ?g/g) was higher than Pb (0.079±0.05 ?g/g) and Cr (0.99±1.11 ?g/g). Among all the species, Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) recorded the highest concentration of Zn in bone (3.98 ?g/g) whereas in the bone of Indian Eagle Owl (Bubo bengalensis) 2.44 ?g/g of chromium (Cr) was reported. Pearson’s correlation of the data showed significant positive correlations in the absorption of metals by the tissues. Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA was applied to validate the results and check whether the groups originated from the same population. Additionally, Principle Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that Pb showed a strong relationship with both Zn and Cr and might be due to the differences of sources of these elements in the environment.

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