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Citation
Tags
HERO ID
1597286
Reference Type
Journal Article
Title
Sources and spatial distribution of heavy metals in scleractinian coral tissues and sediments from the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
Author(s)
Berry, KLE; Seemann, J; Dellwig, O; Struck, U; Wild, C; Leinfelder, RR
Year
2013
Is Peer Reviewed?
Yes
Journal
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
ISSN:
0167-6369
EISSN:
1573-2959
Volume
185
Issue
11
Page Numbers
9089-9099
Language
English
PMID
23719740
DOI
10.1007/s10661-013-3238-8
Web of Science Id
WOS:000325116500025
Abstract
Marine ecosystems worldwide are threatened by aquatic pollution; however, there is a paucity in data from the Caribbean region. As such, five heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, copper, zinc, mercury) were measured in tissues of the scleractinian corals Porites furcata and Agaricia tenuifolia and in adjacent sediments in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama. Samples were collected from five reef sites along a gradient of distance from an international shipping port and were analysed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and atomic absorption spectrophotometry for mercury. Copper and zinc were the most abundant metals and ranged from 11 to 63 mg kg(-1) and from 31 to 185 mg kg(-1) in coral tissues, respectively. The highest concentration of each metal was measured in P. furcata tissues, with copper and mercury concentrations significantly higher in P. furcata than in A. tenuifolia at every site. These results suggest that P. furcata has a higher affinity for metal accumulation and storage than A. tenuifolia. With the exception of cadmium, metal concentrations in coral tissues were generally elevated at coral reefs in closer proximity to the port; however, this pattern was not observed in sediments. Hard coral cover was lowest at reefs in closest proximity to the port, suggesting that metal pollution from port-related activities is influencing hard coral abundance at nearby coral reefs.
Keywords
Coral reef; Heavy metal; Sediments; Port; Porites furcata; Agaricia tenuifolia
Tags
IRIS
•
Arsenic Hazard ID
PubMed
Considered New
PubMed
WOS
Considered New
PubMed
Considered New
2. Lit Search Updates through Oct 2015
PubMed
WOS
Considered
7. Other Studies through Oct 2015
Exposure Assessment
•
Arsenic (Inorganic)
1. Literature
Lit search updates through Oct 2015
3. Hazard ID Screening
Other potentially supporting studies
•
Methylmercury
ADME Search: Jan 1990 - Nov 2018
Results with mercury
PubMed
WoS
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