Assessment of sediment metal contamination in the Mar Menor coastal lagoon (SE Spain): Metal distribution, toxicity, bioaccumulation and benthic community structure
The Mar Menor coastal lagoon is one of the largest of the Mediterranean Sea. Ancient mining activities in the mountains near its southern basin have resulted in metal contamination in the sediment. The metal bioavailability of these sediments was determined through laboratory toxicity bioassays usin...
| Autores: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2005 |
| País: | México |
| Institución: | UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE BAJA CALIFORNIA |
| Repositorio: | Ciencias Marinas |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:cienciasmarinas.com.mx:article/53 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://www.cienciasmarinas.com.mx/index.php/cmarinas/article/view/53 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | metals toxicity bioaccumulation amphipods sea urchins seagrass coastal lagoon Mediterranean Sea metales toxicidad bioacumulación anfípodos erizos marinos fanerógama marina laguna costera |
| Sumario: | The Mar Menor coastal lagoon is one of the largest of the Mediterranean Sea. Ancient mining activities in the mountains near its southern basin have resulted in metal contamination in the sediment. The metal bioavailability of these sediments was determined through laboratory toxicity bioassays using three Mediterranean sea urchin species and two amphipod species, and by means of field bioaccumulation measurements involving the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa. The effect of sediment metal contamination on benthic communities was assessed through benthic infaunal analyses, applying classical descriptive parameters and multivariate techniques. The sediments affected by the mining activities presented high levels of toxicity and metals were also accumulated in the seagrass tissues, pointing to metal bioavailability. Although the classical benthic indices were not clear indicators of disturbance, the multivariate techniques applied provided more consistent conclusions. |
|---|