Benthic organisms as ecological indicators for the status assessment of coastal ecosystems (original) (raw)

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2017

Abstract

The presence of potentially toxic elements (PTE) was determined in different tissues of five selected marine organisms. The As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb and Zn concentrations were measured in the seagrassCymodocea nodosa, the green algaCladophora echinus, the red algaGelidiella lubrica, the marine topshellPhorcus turbinatusand the littoral crabCarcinus aestuarii, as well as in seawater from Makirina Bay. The levels of As, Cd, Cu, Mn and Zn in the biota were found to exceed those in previously analysed sediments, indicating the bioaccumulation of these PTE. The biota-sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) and concentration factor (CF) varied among different organisms. As regards the five selected species,C. nodosa,C. echinusandG. lubricaproved to be the strongest accumulators of Mn, whileP. turbinatusandC. aestuariishowed a high capacity to accumulate As, Cd, Cu and Zn. These species can be considered as good ecological indicators in the assessment of PTE pollution in marine littoral environments.

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