Affiliations: Institution of Soil Science and Fertilizer, Shanxi
Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Taiyuan 030031, China | College of Life Science and Technology, Shanxi
University, Taiyuan 030006, China | School of Environmental Science and Resources,Taiyuan
030006, China
Abstract: One purpose of this research is to present accumulation of cadmium
(Cd) and copper (Cu) by female Oxya chinensis (Orthopera: Acridoidea) in a
simulated soil-plant-insect ecosystem treated with Cd. Fourth-instar nymphs of
O. chinensis had been fed on wheat (Triticum aestivum) seedlings contaminated
with Cd and Cu for one month. In the ecosystem, the Cd concentration in wheat
seedlings rose greatly with the increasing of Cd in the soil, but the Cu
concentration in wheat seedlings was not found elevated. There was a highly
significant difference (P<0.05) in Cd concentrations of wheat seedlings and
not any significant difference (P>0.05) in Cu concentrations of wheat
seedlings. The Cd and Cu concentration in different body part-head, thorax,
abdomen, and hind femur, varied under different Cd concentrations in soil.
There were significant differences (P<0.05) in the four parts of Cd and Cu
accumulations with all treatments. The order of Cd accumulation was thorax
>abdomen >head >hind femur and the Cu was abdomen > thorax >
head > hind femur. The results indicated that Cd and Cu were accumulated
from the soil to grasshoppers through the plant; that is to say, Cd and Cu in
environment could be transported to animal or human via food chain.
