Abstract
Aquatic organisms, such as fish, are important indicators of the bioavailability of metals in coastal environments, demonstrating the capacity of different species to bioaccumulate these metallic elements. The fluvial-lagoon system of the Palizada River is an important ecosystem for its terrestrial and aquatic biological diversity where fishing is an important productive activity in this system. The objective of this research was to evaluate the concentration of Pb and Cd in the muscle tissue of native and invasive fish species in this area. For this, the digestion of fish muscle samples was carried out with a CEM MARS 5 Digestion Microwave System, while the quantification of metals was performed with an atomic absorption equipment. All analysis muscle samples from native and invasive fish showed Pb and Cd in their content. By sampling site there was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05), with a maximum Pb concentration of 7.760 µg g−1 at the LLAR site (Laguna Larga). In terms of species, the maximum Cd concentration was obtained in the Cyprinus carpio with 6.630 ± 0.127 and in Pterygoplichthus pardalis with 6.547 ± 0.873 µg g−1 (dry weight). The presence of metals such as Pb and Cd in muscle tissue of native and invasive fish species represents an important bioindicator of environmental exposure in the study area and a potential risk to public health, as these species are commonly consumed.
Highlights
Metals follow different pathways and cycles in the environment, some of them undergo transformations and are distributed in trace concentrations not harmful for most forms of life [1]
The differences detected in Cd and Pb concentrations at sampling sites such as Laguna Carmen (LCAR) may be associated with its location at the end position, where it receives the pollutant transport from the discharge area of the fluvial-lagoon system, which flows into the coastal Laguna de Términos and this, in turn, into the Gulf of Mexico
Native fish species showed lower concentrations of Cd and Pb compared to the maximum values obtained for invasive fish species (Table 2). These results indicate the availability of these elements in the environment, and that native species are well adapted to their environment, as they have metabolic pathways [31,40], which allow them to accumulate a lower concentration of Cd and Pb, compared to invasive species that have recently entered the ecosystem
Summary
Metals follow different pathways and cycles in the environment, some of them undergo transformations and are distributed in trace concentrations not harmful for most forms of life [1]. Due to various anthropogenic impacts, these elements increase in concentration when they enter aquatic ecosystems by leaching. They directly or indirectly contaminate water supplies and become part of food chains posing a potential risk to public health through the consumption of organisms such as fish [3,4]. The use of other free-living aquatic organisms such as fish can be an effective monitoring tool. As these organisms are long-lived and mobile, they are good indicators for assessing water quality [11,12]
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