Bioaccumulation and histopathological changes of the digestive gland of the land snail Eobania vermiculata (Mollusca: Gastropoda), as biomarkers of terrestrial heavy metal pollution in Taif city

The present study aimed to investigate the efficiency of bioaccumulation and histological changes of Eobania vermiculata as biomarkers for terrestrial heavy metal pollution. E. vermiculata were collected from polluted and non-polluted areas. The contents of cadmium, copper, iron, calcium, lead and zinc were evaluated in the digestive gland of the snail, shell and soil. The bioaccumulations of heavy metal in the digestive gland and shell as well as in soil were determined. Moreover, the histological and histochemical changes in the digestive gland were examined. The results revealed appreciable alterations of the histological changes as biomarker values in the field, accompanied by significant correlations with bioaccumulation. Therefore, this study suggests E. vermiculata is a suitable sentinel organism and the selected biomarkers are efficient for terrestrial heavy metal biomonitoring.