Journal
BIOLOGICAL TRACE ELEMENT RESEARCH
Volume 201, Issue 11, Pages 5431-5440Publisher
SPRINGERNATURE
DOI: 10.1007/s12011-023-03586-3
Keywords
Metals; Human activities; Microanalysis; SEM; XEDS
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This study evaluated the presence of metallic elements on the body surface of the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris, which visited areas with different levels of human activities.
Stingless bees are pollinators in forests and crops that, during foraging, may be exposed to several environmental xenobiotics, including metallic elements. This study evaluated the presence of magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), calcium (Ca), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), molybdenum (Mo), cadmium (Cd), barium (Ba), and lead (Pb) over the body surface of the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris visiting areas with different anthropogenic activity levels. The analyses were carried out using scanning electron microscopy with X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/XEDS) and all tested elements were identified. Lead was the most abundant element in all samples, whereas Mn had the lowest abundance. High amounts of Cu and Zn were detected in the areas with metallurgic industries. The presence of metals on the body surface of this stingless bee varied according to the level of human activities in the studied areas.
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