Heavy Metals in Organs and Tissues of Silver X Bigheads Carp Hybrid as Indices of Anthropogenic Pressure in Areas with a High Level of Urbanization

Abstract

The growth of man-caused load on natural objects, including surface waters, gave impetus to the studying for issue of water pollution in Ukraine by various pollutants. Especially relevant for us are the studies of fishery reservoirs as a direct environment for growing quality aquaculture products. Among the toxic compounds contained in reservoirs, one of the first places is occupied by heavy metals. On the one hand, heavy metals, as pollutants in natural waters, pose a great danger because even in relatively small concentrations they can adversely affect aquatic organisms. On the other hand, in microquantities most heavy metals (except mercury, cadmium and lead) are a natural and even essential component of living cells of aquatic organisms, including fish [17,19].Zn, Mn, Fe, Cu, Pb, Co, Ni, Cd in the organs and tissues of the bighead carphybrid form, which was cultivated in ponds from highly urbanized territory, are distributed heterogeneously and their level of content depends not only on the physical and chemical characteristics of the aquatic environment or this heavy metals biochemical activities force in fish organisms, but also on functional features of concrete organs and tissues of the latter. Results of our investigations showed that above mentioned heavy metals were characterised by high levels of content in the organs and tissues of hybrid silver x bigheadcarp. Highest content in organism of hybrid are lead, cobalt, and cadmium. Highest concentration of heavy metals in our investigations was recorded in gills, because it is the first defence line of fish organism from environmental pollutants.