A study has assessed the use the wool of upland sheep as a device to bio-monitor natural levels of heavy metals in the Lake District and Wales.
to the swaledale sheep 9
As heavy metals are present in the natural environment in variable amounts in UK, Dr Jennifer Sneddon of Liverpool John Moores University has come up with this amazing monitoring device and will be presenting the study's results at the Annual Meeting of Society for Experimental Biology being help in Glasgow.
Dr Sneddon has discovered significant correlations existing between the amount of copper and lead that are found in washed wool derived from sheep and in local streams.
Despite lower soil concentrations, median copper concentration in North Ronaldsay wool was found to be comparatively high. The Shetland sheep accumulate more lead compared to the Swaledale sheep.
The sex of the sheep is also found to be a vital element linking to the study. Surprisingly, it is found that values for concentration of wool of both lead and copper were significantly higher in male sheep. And this has been linked to androgens' effect on metabolism.
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