Abstract
In this paper, the relationships of Cu concentrations between the snail’s different soft tissues and surface sediments were evaluated by using multivariate analysis, namely cluster analysis, correlation analysis and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. Three findings can be highlighted based on the present study. First, different concentrations of Cu were found in the different soft tissues, indicating different mechanisms of sequestration and regulations of Cu in these different tissues. By comparing the Cu concentrations in similar tissues, spatial variations of Cu were found in the different sampling sites although there was no consistent pattern of Cu in these sampling sites. Second, the digestive caecum was a better biomonitoring organ for Cu contamination. Third, higher Cu contamination might not necessarily result in higher Cu bioavailability to T. telescopium based on the cluster analysis. In general, all the different soft tissues could be used as biomonitoring tissues of Cu bioavailabilities and contamination in Malaysian intertidal mudflats provided they were statistically analyzed by using a multivariate approach. To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive study of Cu accumulation in the different soft tissues of T. telescopium from tropical intertidal area in relation to sediment data.
Highlights
Every metal has a different behavior due to different abundance from natural sources and rate of anthropogenic input
All the different soft tissues could be used as biomonitoring tissues of Cu bioavailabilities and contamination in Malaysian intertidal mudflats provided they were statistically analyzed by using a multivariate approach
Anthropogenic Cu could potentially raise the amount of Cu accumulated in the snail’s tissues, 3) Cu is among the most toxic heavy metals in the marine biota (Eisler, 2000) and it is often accumulated and causes irreversible harm to some species at concentrations just above the level required for growth and reproduction
Summary
Every metal has a different behavior due to different abundance from natural sources and rate of anthropogenic input. Copper (Cu) was focused upon because 1) Cu is one of the major and popular metal pollutants in this region and especially in Malaysia, 2) Cu is essential for the successful growth and development of many species of aquatic organisms, but its rate and extent of accumulation and retention are modified by numerous biological and biotic variables. Anthropogenic Cu could potentially raise the amount of Cu accumulated in the snail’s tissues, 3) Cu is among the most toxic heavy metals in the marine biota (Eisler, 2000) and it is often accumulated and causes irreversible harm to some species at concentrations just above the level required for growth and reproduction. Gastropods, being small and relatively immobile organisms, are good models for examining the effects of pollution on populations because they are in contact with the polluted bottom sediments, have short generation times, and their fitness are easy to assess (Peerzada et al, 1990; Jones et al, 2000; Lefcort et al, 2004; Ismail & Safahieh, 2004; Dang et al, 2005; Yap & Noorhaidah, 2008; Yap et al, 2008; 2009)
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