Trophic relationships and transference of cadmium, copper, lead and zinc in a subtropical coastal lagoon food web from SE Gulf of California

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2009-11, Vol.77 (10), p.1366-1373
• Main Authors: Jara-Marini, M.E., Soto-Jiménez, M.F., Páez-Osuna, F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Anthropogenic activities; Applied ecology; Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Biomagnification; Cadmium - toxicity; California; Coastal; Coastal ecosystem; Copper; Copper - toxicity; Decapoda; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environment. Living conditions; Environmental Monitoring; Exact sciences and technology; Food Chain; Food web; Foods; Functional groups; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Heavy metals; Lagoons; Lead - toxicity; Medical sciences; Organisms; Pollution; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Sediments; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Zinc; Zinc - toxicity
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2009.09.025

Trophic relationships and heavy metal transference in a coastal subtropical lagoon marine food web were investigated through the use of stable isotopes in food sources and biota. A selective extraction scheme was applied to the surface sediments as an indirect way to evaluate the potential of toxicity of metals. Results showed that cadmium, copper, lead and zinc concentrations were within sediment quality guidelines criteria. Concentrations of these metals in organisms varied widely among functional groups and within the same and closely related taxa. δ 13C values varied significantly among organisms from different functional groups, while the δ 15N values varied according with their feeding habits. Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were not positively transferred (biomagnification factor