The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the usefulness of fish scales as a bioindicator reflecting the concentrations of heavy metals in the environment as compared to typical recognized bioindicators such as the liver or kidney. Heavy metal (Zn, Mn, Cu, Cd, Fe, Ni, Pb) concentration analysis (with the atomic absorption technique) was performed in different annuli on the fish scale to characterize the metals’ accumulation in the consecutive years of the fish's life corresponding to individual scale increments. The results confirmed the usefulness of fish scales as a bioindicative tissue reflecting the condition of the environment in subsequent growing seasons. The results of the present study demonstrated that fish scales are more sensitive to the accumulation of Mn, Ni, and Pb, whose concentrations in different parts of the scales were even 10 times higher than in soft tissues, and significantly correlated with their levels in liver or kidney. In light of this finding, further studies involving controlled exposure of fish to different metals could be performed. Their results could allow for obtaining an excellent tool for monitoring the environment inhabited by fish in the present and past without the need to kill the animals.

中文翻译：

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鲤鱼（Cyprinus carpio L.）可作为一种生物指示剂进行缩放，反映了其一生中对重金属的暴露

本研究的目的是证明鱼鳞作为一种生物指标的有用性，与典型的公认生物指标（例如肝脏或肾脏）相比，它可以反映环境中重金属的浓度。在鱼鳞上不同的环形空间中进行了重金属（Zn，Mn，Cu，Cd，Fe，Ni，Pb）浓度分析（采用原子吸收技术），以表征金属在相应寿命中连续几年的积累到单个比例增量。结果证实了鱼鳞作为一种生物指示组织的有用性，反映了随后生长季节中环境的状况。本研究结果表明，鱼鳞对Mn，Ni和Pb的积累更为敏感，其在不同比例范围内的浓度甚至比软组织高10倍，并且与它们在肝脏或肾脏中的含量显着相关。根据这一发现，可以进行涉及将鱼类控制暴露于不同金属的进一步研究。他们的研究结果可以为监测鱼类目前和过去所居住的环境提供一个出色的工具，而无需杀死动物。