Accumulation of Heavy Metals in the Roman Snail (Helix pomatia) at Sites with Different Anthropogenic Impacts in Kosovo and Metohija (Serbia)

Abstract

Heavy metal concentrations in the environment have increased in recent decades, mainly due to anthropogenic activities. This study assessed the concentrations of As, Cu, Fe, Cd, Mn, Pb, and Zn in tissues of the Roman snail Helix pomatia (Linnaeus, 1758) and in soils from Kosovo and Metohija using AAS. Hepatopancreas, kidney, hemolymph and shell were analyzed together with soil from the same sites (Crkvena Vodica–Obilić, Vrbeštica–Štrpce, and Zubin Potok as a control site). Seventy-five individuals were collected and three composite samples per tissue were prepared (25 individuals per composite; n = 3) at each site. Data are presented as mean ± SD; differences among sites were tested by ANOVA and Tukey’s test (p < 0.05). The strongest site-related differences occurred in the hepatopancreas, indicating that H. pomatia is a suitable bioindicator of local heavy-metal pressure.