Trace Elements In Mussels Research Articles

Iron, Phosphorus and Trace Elements in Mussels’ Shells, Water, and Bottom Sediments from the Severnaya Dvina and the Onega River Basins (Northwestern Russia)

Trace elements in freshwater bivalve shells are widely used for reconstructing long-term changes in the riverine environments. However, Northern Eurasian regions, notably the European Russian North, susceptible to strong environmental impact via both local pollution and climate warming, are poorly studied. This work reports new data on trace elements accumulation by widespread species of freshwater mussels Unio spp. and Anodonta anatina in the Severnaya Dvina and the Onega River Basin, the two largest subarctic river basins in the Northeastern Europe. We revealed that iron and phosphorous accumulation in Unio spp. and Anodonta anatina shells have a strong relationship with a distance from the mouth of the studied river (the Severnaya Dvina). Based on multiparametric statistics comprising chemical composition of shells, water, and sediments, we demonstrated that the accumulation of elements in the shell depends on the environment of the biotope. Differences in the elemental composition of shells between different taxa are associated with ecological preferences of certain species to the substrate. The results set new constraints for the use of freshwater mussels’ shells for monitoring riverine environments and performing paleo-reconstructions.

A study of the influence of brevetoxin exposure on trace element bioaccumulation in the blue mussel Mytilus edulis

Marine organisms are exposed to and affected by a multitude of chemicals present in seawater and can accumulate in their tissues a wide range of contaminants as well as natural biotoxins associated with harmful algal blooms (HABs). Trace elements and biotoxins may modify physiological functions in exposed organisms, and studies have been conducted to better understand their respective kinetics and effects in marine species. Despite the increasing concern of concurrent toxic HABs and pollution events due to anthropogenic pressures and global change, very little information is available on their combined effects. Chemical interactions between biotoxins and trace elements have been reported, and exposure to certain biotoxins is known to modify ion transport pathways, suggesting that biotoxins have the potential to alter trace element uptake. Using specific and sensitive radiotracer techniques (radioligand receptor binding assay and γ-spectrometry), this laboratory study examined the influence of pre-exposure to the brevetoxins (PbTxs)-producing microalgae Karenia brevis on the bioaccumulation of selected non-essential (Cd) and essential (Co, Mn and Zn) trace elements in the blue mussel Mytilus edulis. PbTxs are a group of neurotoxins known to accumulate in bivalves but also to have lethal effects on a number of marine organisms including fish and mammals. We found that, over 23 days exposure to the radiotracers, the bioaccumulation of the dissolved essential trace elements Co, Mn and Zn in M. edulis was not significantly affected by pre-exposure to toxic K. brevis. In contrast, the uptake rate constant ku of Cd was significantly higher in the pre-exposed group (p < 0.05), likely caused by a decrease in mussel clearance rates after K. brevis exposure. These results suggest that the effects of algal toxin exposure on bioaccumulation of trace elements in mussels may be trace element-dependent.

Metal trace elements in mussels in Urubuqueçaba Island, Santos Bay, Brazil

Abstract: The objective of this work was to verify the existence of bioaccumulation in mussels of the species Perna perna, by determining the concentration of metal trace elements, in Urubuqueçaba Island, Santos Bay, Santos, SP, Brazil. Mussels were collected in natural banks and rocky shores, and sampling took place from April 2010 to June 2011. The concentration of the trace metal elements - aluminum, cadmium, cromium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, lead, and zinc - was determined according to mussel sex, length, and seasonality classes, in a flame atomic absorption spectrometer. Statistical analyses were applied to the results with the use of the software PAST, with parametric and nonparametric approaches, at 5% probability. In the summer, mussels show the highest concentrations of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc. Females of P. perna concentrate more copper; for the other elements, there are no significant differences between sexes. The length classes with the highest concentrations are 3.5-5.5 cm for Al and Fe, and 6.5-8.5 cm for Cr.

High resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICPMS) determination and multivariate evaluation of 10 trace elements in mussels from 7 sites in Limfjorden, Denmark

The contents of V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Ga, Rb, Cd, Ba, and Pb in the soft tissue of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) were determined by a high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICPMS) method. Sample digestions were performed in closed microwave vessels using nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Using HR-ICPMS it is possible to resolve the analytical peaks from otherwise interfering polyatomic ions with a mass resolution setting of 4,000 (Cr, Ni, Cu). The proposed method was validated using a mussel tissue reference material (NIST SRM 2974). The proposed method was applied to real samples of blue mussel from seven sites in the inlet "Limfjorden", Denmark, and the levels of trace elements found were compared with the levels found in an earlier study. For the mussel samples large inter-regional differences in trace element concentrations in the tissues were recorded. The mussels from the different sites could be separated using principal component analysis (PCA). Comparison with the levels of trace elements in mussels found in 1982 showed that the trace elemental contamination has increased during the last 15 years. From the data obtained, mussel tissue appears to be good bio-indicator for identification of coastal areas exposed to metallic contaminants.

Trace elements in mussels (Mytilus Edulis) from coastal areas of the North Sea and the Baltic. Multielement analyses using instrumental neutron activation analysis

Samples of the mussel Mytilus edulis were collected from different sites of estuarine and coastal areas of the North Sea and the Baltic. The following elements were determined by INAA: Ca, Sc, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Zr, Ag, Cd, Sn, Cs, Ba, Ta, Eu, Tb, Yb, Hf, Au, Hg, Th. Multielement correlation analysis was used for the evaluation of the data. Differences in trace element patterns are found and described calculating trace element ratios. Regional differences in trace element concentrations are superimposed by typical seasonal variations, with highest concentration levels found in late winter and spring, and lowest in summer and autumn.

The application of high resolution spark source mass spectroscopy for the determination of trace elements in mussels

The applicability of high resolution spark source mass spectrometry to the determination of some selected trace elements in dried mussel samples is described. In this study it is shown that when using high resolution mass spectrometry, element spectral lines can be measured which are normally partly or completely overlapped by complex ions, polyatomic ions, etc. Ten trace elements are determined for each mussel sample. The sampling was carried out at various locations along the English and Welsh coast at different times over a period of two years.