Abstract
Water hyacinth plants were exposed to 25, 50, or 100 ppm of mercury, cadmium, lead, or zinc for one week. Leaves were taken from the plants daily and fed to water hyacinth weevils. Both plants and insects were analyzed for metal accumulation after one week. Bioaccumulation of the metals in plants was related to the concentration. The order of accumulation in plants was: roots super(>) petioles super(>) leave- s. In insects, metal uptake was lower for the higher concentrations of metals than for the lower concentrations. Bioaccumulation occurred in the order: Pb super(>) Cd super(>) Zn super(<GT- H>) Hg. Homogenates of insect bodies were prepared for electrophoresis, to determine the effect of metals on proteins. For all metals, protein patterns differed from those of controls-some protein bands disappeared, new protein bands appeared. This phenomenon may have a role in imparing the ability to resist the metal toxicity to the insect.