Exposure to Heavy Metal (Fe, Zn, Co, Mn) and Their Toxic Impactson Hydrodroma despiciens (Müller, 1776) (Acari, Hydrachnidia)

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Abstract In this study, the resistance limit of Hydrodroma despiciens, which is a common water mite in inland waters, against heavy metal salts such as iron, zinc, cobalt and manganese has been tested. Water mites were sampled in Karamik Lake in Afyonkarahisar, Turkey, during April–August 2015. Separate small lake ecosystems (microcosms) were modeled in the laboratory for each metal salt. Equal amounts of the samples of species collected in the lake were placed into these ecosystems. Increasing and equal amounts of the nitrate salts of the tested metals were added to the microcosms at certain intervals. A control microcosm was constructed as well. The samples were continuously monitored in these four different ecosystems. The water and live samples from each ecosystem were analyzed separately with ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma-optical Emission Spectroscopy, ICP-OES; Spectro Genesis, Germany), and the resulting data were compared. It was revealed that the most toxic salts for Hydrodroma despiciens were those with Co and Zn, while the least toxic were compounds with Fe and Mn.