Functional characteristics of bivalves of the genus Unio as indicators of the ecological state of populations and water quality

Abstract

The levels of accumulation of heavy metals (HM) in mollusks of the genus Unio from different zones of Lake Kenon, the cooling reservoir of the Chita Thermal Power Plant, were studied. The priority role of mollusk gills in the process of water filtration and bioaccumulation of heavy metals (HM) in tissues has been revealed. The calculated values of IB, an indicator of the bioaccumulation of heavy metals, make it possible to assess the ecological state of mollusks, water quality and technogenic load on the reservoir in the current growing season. It has been shown that the increase in the accumulation of heavy metals in the shell, which integrates this long-term process corresponding to the age of the mollusk, has a reliable connection with the increase in the content of heavy metals in the aquatic environment.