Abstract
Urbanization can considerably affect water reservoirs by, inter alia, input, and accumulation of contaminants including metals. Located in the course of River Cybina, Maltański Reservoir (Western Poland) is an artificial shallow water body built for recreation and sport purposes which undergoes restoration treatment (drainage) every 4 years. In the present study, we demonstrate an accumulation of nine metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in water, sediment, three bivalve species (Anodonta anatina, Anodonta cygnea, Unio tumidus), and macrophyte Phragmites australis collected before complete drainage in November 2012. The mean concentrations of metals in the sediment, bivalves, and P. australis (roots and leaves) decreased in the following order: Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Pb > Co > Cd. A considerably higher bioconcentration of metals was observed in samples collected from the western and southern sites which undergo a higher degree of human impact. Sediments were found to be a better indicator of metal contamination than water samples. Interspecific differences in levels of metal accumulation were found between investigated unionids. U. tumidus accumulated higher levels of Cr, positively correlated with ambient concentrations, predisposing this species as a potential bioindicator of this metal in aquatic environments. On the other hand, species of Anodonta genus demonstrated higher accumulation of Cu and Cd. Positive correlations were found between Pb content in the sediments and tissues of all three bivalve species. In P. australis, metals were largely retained in roots except for Cd and Pb for which higher concentrations were found in leaves suggesting additional absorption of these metals from aerial sources. P. australis and bivalve from the Maltański Reservoir may be a potential source of toxic metals for animals feeding upon them and contribute to further contamination in the food chain.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10661-013-3610-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Municipal water reservoirs can be used for various recreational and sporting purposes and play an important role in urban landscape architecture
Low concentrations of metals were detected in water samples from the Maltański Reservoir (Table 1)
The lowest average concentrations of Fe, Mn, and Zn were observed at the northern site of the reservoir
Summary
Municipal water reservoirs can be used for various recreational and sporting purposes and play an important role in urban landscape architecture. Situated close to the city centers and residential areas, they are usually under strong impact of their catchment areas and can accumulate a variety of pollutants including heavy metals. These elements are natural constituents of the earth’s crust, indiscriminate human activities have drastically altered their geochemical cycles and biochemical balance. The contamination of aquatic ecosystems with heavy metals has become a serious worldwide problem They are resistant to degradation under natural conditions and may accumulate in microorganisms and aquatic flora and fauna which, in turn, may enter terrestrial food chains (including human) and result in further contamination of the environment (Arnason and Fletcher 2003; Järup 2003; Milošković et al 2013)
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