Publication Type Journal Article
Title Monitoring Hg and Cd Contamination Using Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii): Implications for Wetland Food Chain Contamination
Authors J. F. Henriques P. C. Tavares Margarida Correia dos Santos M. A. Trancoso M. Santos-Reis C. Branquinho
Groups
Journal WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION
Year 2014
Month December
Volume 225
Number 12
Pages
Abstract Environmental pollution is one of the most serious causes of degradation of Mediterranean wetlands. Mercury (Hg) and cadmium (Cd) are of particular concern due to biomagnification. Here, we used red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) to monitor the spatial and temporal patterns of these two metals in a Portuguese rice field system. We sampled the crayfish in three different sites and three different time periods in the Sado River Basin (Portugal). We measured temperature, pH, total dissolved solids and conductivity in the water. Hg and Cd were measured in the crayfish abdominal muscle tissue and exoskeleton. In muscle, a spatial pattern was found for the accumulation of Cd while for Hg, only a temporal pattern emerged. The spatial pattern for Cd seemed to reflect the mining history of the sites, whereas the temporal pattern for Hg seemed related to the flooding of rice fields. We suggest that this flooding process increases Hg bioavailability.
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-2210-8
ISBN
Publisher SPRINGER
Book Title
ISSN 0049-6979
EISSN 1573-2932
Conference Name
Bibtex ID ISI:000345320200009
Observations
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