Differential Accumulation of Heavy Metals in Soft Tissues of Three Bivalvian Species from the Songhua River near Harbin (China)

Abstract

Concentrations of heavy metals (HM) in water, bottom sediments and soft tissues of native bivalves were determined to indicate the level of anthropogenic pressure on the Songhua River near Harbin, China. It was found that concentrations of six HM (Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb, Zn) ranged from 0.001 to 0.007 (mg/L) in water and from 0.07 to 5617.13 (mg/kg) in bottom sediments. At the study site of the river exposed to severe anthropogenic pollution, different bivalves exhibited different rates of HM accumulation in their soft tissues. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) were calculated for each metal and proved to be significantly different in the tissues studied (gills and hepatopancreas). The obtained data confirmed the existence of inter-species differences in metal accumulation in tissues of the native bivalves. This approach can be useful both in comparative physiological studies of the Bivalvia and in choosing optimal indicator organisms to assess anthropogenic pollution of natural waters of Northern China and the Russian Far East.