Ultrastructural alterations in sperm formation of the beetle, Blaps polycresta (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) as a biomonitor of heavy metal soil pollution

Abstract

Little is known about ultrastructural alterations induced by heavy metals pollution in insects. Therefore, the main objective of the present study is to elucidate ultrastructural changes in sperm formation of the tenebrionid beetle, Blaps polycresta as a biomonitor of heavy metal soil pollution. Metal percentages in testicular tissues of adult insects collected from reference and polluted sites were estimated using energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). Only cadmium, among eight detected metals, showed significantly higher percentages in the polluted testes compared with the reference ones. Ultrastructure investigation revealed severe alterations both in spermatogenic and spermiogenic stages of the polluted insects. Some cells were totally eroded. No spermatozoa were observed in all the examined cysts. Most degenerations were confined to the flagella of spermatids having enlarged vacuolated cytoplasm and malformed mitochondrial derivatives. Groups of multiple axial filaments were appeared in the form of bi-and tetra-flagellate spermatids. Electron dense vesicles were observed in almost all stages of the polluted testes. It is a novel trend in which ultrastructural alterations in sperm formation of insects could be used as a promising biomonitoring and risk assessment tool for heavy metal soil pollution.