Trace metal Biomonitoring of algae (Ulva lactuca), and Mollusks (Patella caerulea ; Stramonita haemastoma ; Phorcus turbinatus) along the Eastarn-Algerian coast.

Abstract

A total of six trace metal elements (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn and Ni) were analyzed in the green algae Ulva lactuca (Linnaeus, 1753) and in the tissues of three gastropods: Stramonita hemastomas (Linnaeus, 1766), Phorcus turbinatus (Born 1778) and the limpet Patella caerulea (Linnaeus, 1758)sampled from four stations located along the coastal areas of eastern Algeria (North-Eastern Mediterranean Sea). Data were processed through multivariate approaches such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) on PCA factors. The results obtained showed a very het- erogeneous distribution of pollutants. Highly significant correlations were determined for the different species studied, depending on heavy metals, stations and seasons. In green algae, U. lactuca has been associated with higher levels of Ni, Cr and Zn in the sampling station ’St.T’, while an accumulation of Pb and Cu was detected in St.2. Cr was significantly higher in St.3. In winter and spring, mol- lusks had the highest contamination levels. Monodonta and Patella in the stations St.1, St.2 and St.3 showed higher contents in Ni, Zn and Cu, respectively. In addition, Thais and Patella in stations St.T and St.3had a higher contamination with Pb, Crand Cd, respectively. Statistical comparison was performed using the non-parametric Kruskall Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. This work confirms that U. lactuca , S. haemastoma , P. turbinatus and P. caerulea are good biomonitoring tools of trace metal contamination in Mediterranean marine areas.