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Students of the Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics in Semey received the copyright for another scientific work. With their projects on the topic “Snails as a bioindicator of environmental pollution”, our students Aruzhan Abaeva and Nazim Muratkanova conducted a study of ecology, including the impact of soil pollution on living beings. As an object of study, which took almost 2 years, the soils of the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk were taken, where very large industries are located.
– According to the World Health Organization, 20% of human health depends on environmental conditions. Including a special role for the soil, which plays an important role in human life. It grows various vegetables and fruits that we consume daily. We used the Achatina Fulica snail for our study. This is due to the fact that this species is safe for research. Feeding them, placing them in a certain place will not be difficult. To adapt to laboratory conditions, the snails were fed only one variety of cucumbers, – says a young researcher Aruzhan Abaeva.
The course of the study included several stages. First, the young scientists sent a mass spectrometric analysis to determine heavy metals and macroelements in the selected substrate, spent 2 weeks of work in order to adapt bioindicators to laboratory conditions.
Next, the snails were placed in the soil and studied the dynamics of the accumulation of heavy metals, macroelements in the body at certain intervals. In addition, statistical processing was carried out and the results of the studies were interpreted.
– Usually we are often asked the question: “If the soil is poisonous, how did you work with it?”. Before starting the research work, we tested the soil, sending it to the research center in the city of Kurchatov. The inspection agency has determined that the dosage of toxic substances in the soil is at a safe level for us. The work began after the conclusion of the relevant specialists, – says our second student Nazim Muratkanova.
The long-term search for young scientists was supervised by biology teachers of our school, candidate of biological sciences, associate professor Ainur Kydyrmoldina and Lyazzat Oberkulova.
The study showed that the accumulation of heavy metals and macronutrients in the body of snails depends on time. The amount of macronutrients and heavy metals changes in proportion to each other during the month, and if the amount of heavy metals increases, accordingly, the amount of macronutrients also increases. The obtained results of the study are fundamental research for environmental scientists, biologists interested in environmental problems.
It is worth noting that this research project not only received a copyright certificate as a scientific work, but also won a prize in the republican competition of scientific projects on the subject of “Biology”, organized by the Republican Scientific and Practical Center “Daryn”.