Abstract
Analysis of the deposit-feeding bivalve Scrobicularia plana (da Costa) has been proposed as a method of assessing the biological availability of heavy metals in estuarine sediments (Bryan & Hummerstone, 1977; Bryan & Uysal, 1978). Scrobicularia has a number of attributes which are useful in this type of indicator: (i) it is common in many British estuaries, particularly in the south, and often penetrates much farther upstream than other common bivalves such as Mytilus edulis; (ii) it is a convenient size for analysis and, during its life span of perhaps 10 years, reaches a shell length of 40-50 mm (Green, 1957; Hughes, 1970); (iii) it is a good accumulator of metals and appears to reflect changes in their biological availability.
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