Over the past few decades, excessive deposition of heavy metals
in the environment and their negative impacts on ecosystems and
organisms has attracted the attention of ecotoxicologists throughout
the globe (Frantz et al., 2012). Heavy metals are persistent elements
and ubiquitous in the environment due to both naturally
occurring geological cycles and anthropogenic activities. Terrestrial
and aquatic ecosystems receive heavy metals for example
through accidental discharge, waste dumping and/or atmospheric
fallout