Abstract

Accumulation and bioindication of trace elements were compared in three seagrasses growing in the Mediterranean Sea: Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa and Halophila stipulacea. The levels of the elements As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were investigated in water, sediments, and roots, rhizomes and leaves of seagrasses. Results showed that seagrasses can accumulate comparable levels of trace elements, but P. oceanica and C. nodosa showed higher mean values of element accumulation. Moreover, P. oceanica and C. nodosa may accumulate high element concentrations in their leaves, whereas in H. stipulacea restricted with the bulk of trace elements in roots and rhizomes. Seagrasses reflected to a different degree the levels of several trace elements in sediments, especially P. oceanica and C. nodosa, whose use as bioindicators is recommended. The future step for an effective use of seagrasses as bioindicators of marine pollution is to set up biomonitoring networks on a large scale.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.