Abstract
The presence of dissolved organic matter in natural waters is assumed to decrease dissolved metal bioavailability by binding metal ions. In this study, the role of humic acids, with a concentration range of 0 to 8 mg L-1, was investigated in the uptake of mercury by the clam Ruditapes philippinarum. The metal uptake rates increased linearly with the mercury concentrations, but the variation of mercury concentrations didn’t influence the dry weight concentration factors determined at the end of exposure experiments. Experimental results showed that in the presence of humic acid, the predominant way of mercury uptake varies from passive diffusion to ingestion process, and the mercury concentration in the digestive gland increased, the distribution in gill declined. And the absorbing capacity of mercury by biological tissue was different, order was the digestive gland﹥the other soft tissues﹥the gill.
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