Comparison of the bioaccumulation capacities of copper and zinc in two snail subspecies (Helix)

Bioaccumulation analyses of copper and zinc were carried out in two snail subspecies (Helix aspersa aspersa and Helix aspersa maxima) after 3 months of controlled farming (out of ground) with foods of different formulations. The results reveal some clear interspecific differences in affinity toward copper and zinc. For the two metals considered, H. aspersa aspersa has a bioaccumulation capacity much greater than that of H. aspersa maxima, mainly in the foot for copper and in the viscera for zinc. After 3 months, the concentrations of copper in feet and viscera are much higher than those presented in the literature on field animals. The farming and the analysis methodologies permitted obtaining snails under standard condition and open the way to the development of rational protocols for ecotoxicological studies in a laboratory as well as in the field. (C) 1997 Academic Press.