Mulberry-silkworm food chain - A templet to assess heavy metal mobility interrestrial ecosystems

Assessment of the food chain mobility of heavy metals in the natural ecosys tem receives more attention nowadays. In the present study, mulberry-silkwo rm food chain has been focused as a templet to assess the biomobility of he avy metals in soil-higher plant-insect hierarchy. Both in the case of Cd an d Cu treatments, higher mobility was observed in the level-1 (soil-root) fo llowed by level-3 (leaf-larva), level-4 (larvae-faecal) and level-2 (root-l eaf). Consequently, roots accumulated more amounts of Cd and Cu, with a lim ited transport to the leaves. Among the two metals (Cd and Cu) tested, in t he plant, the transfer potential of Cd exceeds that of Cu. Whereas in the c ase of leaf-larval transfer, Cu precedes over Cd. Accumulation of Cd and Cu in all the levels (1-4) tested showed a concentration dependent increase, except in the level 4 (larva-faecal) of Cd treatment where a declining tren d was noticed.