Snakes: an unknown field
Abstract
In order to obtain better results in ecological risk assessments and studies of environmental contamination by heavy metals, it is necessary to consider a good complement to the relevant members of the ecosystems studied. Although considerable attention has been devoted to the field of applied ecotoxicology to various vertebrates, including non-bird sauropsids, snakes remain a poorly studied group. These animals are second, third and fourth degree predators, whose ecological role is of utmost importance in the different ecosystems, however, there are still few studies that consider these important members of the fauna. This brief review shows some ecotoxicological evaluations of heavy metals applied to snakes. Most studies focus on the determination of bioaccumulated elements in different tissues of organisms, as well as the assessment of non-lethal sampling methods.
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References
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