HEAVY METALS IN THE TOE CLIPS OF AMPHIBIANS FROM IKPE COMMUNITY, EDO STATE, NIGERIA: ASSESSING NON-LETHAL SAMPLING METHODS

Heavy metal contamination in aquatic ecosystems is a growing concern due to its persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and toxicity to both wildlife and humans. Amphibians, due to their permeable skin and dual aquatic-terrestrial life cycle, serve as critical bioindicators of environmental pollution. However, traditional bioaccumulation studies often involve lethal sampling, which can negatively impact amphibian populations already facing global decline. This study employed a non-lethal sampling technique using toe clips from amphibians to assess heavy metal contamination in water, sediment, and amphibian tissues from Ikpe River, Edo State, Nigeria, the amphibian toe clips were collected between the months of January to September 2022.
The concentrations of iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni) in surface water, sediment, and amphibian toe clips with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of amphibian toe clips in the assessment of heavy metals accumulating in amphibians from three stations along Ikpe River, influenced by anthropogenic activities. Analysis of heavy metals in the samples were carried out using Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS)