Comparative biomonitors of coastal trace metal contamination in tropical South America (N. Brazil)

• Published in: Marine environmental research 2006-05, Vol.61 (4), p.439-455
• Main Authors: e Silva, Carlos Augusto R., Smith, Brian D., Rainbow, Philip S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anadara ovalis; Analysis of Variance; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Anomalocardia brasiliana; Balanus amphitrite; Barnacles; Bioavailability; Biological and medical sciences; Biomonitoring; Bivalves; Bivalvia; Bivalvia - chemistry; Brazil; Crassostrea rhizophorae; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Fistulobalanus citerosum; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Invertebrates; Mangroves; Marine; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Mollusca; Mytella; Mytella charruana; Phacoides pectinata; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Rhizophora mangle; Rhizophoraceae - chemistry; Sea water ecosystems; Synecology; Thoracica - chemistry; Trace metals
• ISSN: 0141-1136; 1879-0291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2006.02.001

Samples of 5 bivalve molluscs ( Crassostrea rhizophorae, Mytella charruana, Anomalocardia brasiliana, Anadara ovalis, Phacoides pectinata), 2 barnacles ( Fistulobalanus citerosum, Balanus amphitrite) and leaves of the mangrove tree Rhizophora mangle were collected from up to 11 sites in two estuaries in Natal, Brazil – the comparatively contaminated Potengi estuary and the comparatively uncontaminated Curimataú estuary. Specimens were analysed for the trace metals Zn, Cu, Cd, Fe, Mn and Ni, and a comparative assessment made of the power of the different species as trace metal biomonitors. Four of the 5 bivalves (not P. pectinata) take up metals from solution and suspended material (food source), while P. pectinata as a lucinid with symbiotic chemosynthetic bacteria takes up metals from dissolved sources only. The organisms with the strongest net accumulation of particular metals showed the greatest discrimination between trace metal bioavailabilities between sites. Barnacles ( F. citerosum) showed the best discrimination, but oysters ( C. rhizophorae) are particularly recommended as biomonitors given their strong accumulation patterns for many trace metals, their large size and their local abundance.