Concentrations of Some Heavy Metals in Tench (Tinca tinca L., 1758), Its Endoparasite (Ligula intestinalis L., 1758), Sediment and Water in Beyşehir Lake, Turkey

Concentrations of Al, B, Ba, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb and Sr were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) in the Ligula intestinalis plerocercoid (L., 1758), its host tissues (Tinca tinca L., 1758), sediment and water from Beyşehir Lake. Al, Ba, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb and Sr were highest in sediment, while B was the highest in liver. Al in Ligula intestinalis plerocercoid was 6.91 times higher than in fish muscle. The Al, Ba and Sr levels in Ligula intestinalis plerocercoid, were 2.99x, 1.23x and 2.26x respectively, higher than those in fish liver. Compared with water, all heavy metal concentrations in Ligula intestinalis plerocercoid were higher. This study supports the idea that cestodes aren’t useful to determine the heavy metal pollution in aquatic systems when they are located in their intermediate host’s body cavity.