Biomaterial Database

Heavy metal concentrations in marine molluscs from the Moroccan coastal region. 2008

Mohamed Maanan

Géolittomer, UMR 6554 LETG, CNRS, Université de Nantes, Nantes Cedex 3, France. mohamed.maanan@univ-nantes.fr

Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), clams (Venerupis decussatus) and oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were sampled seasonally during 2004-2005, from different coastal environments of Morocco in order to measure their accumulated heavy metal concentrations. The concentrations of Hg and Pb were determined by AFS and ICP-MS methods, respectively, whilst the remaining metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Zn and Ni) were quantified by AAS. The soft tissue concentrations of the mussels were on average 7.2 mg kg(-1) (Cd), 9.6 mg kg(-1) (Pb), 0.6 mg kg(-1) (Hg), 26.8 mg kg(-1) (Cu), 8.8 mg kg(-1) (Cr), 292 mg kg(-1) (Zn), 20.8 mg kg(-1) (Mn) and 32.8 mg kg(-1) (Ni). The highest tissue heavy metal concentrations were recorded in the south from the industrial area of Jorf Lasfar. The relationships between metal concentration and season in each species showed very similar annual profiles with a peak observed around spring-summer. Statistical analysis indicated that different species showed different bioaccumulation of metals depending on study site and season.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007220	Industrial Waste	Worthless, damaged, defective, superfluous or effluent material from industrial operations.	Waste, Industrial,Industrial Wastes,Wastes, Industrial
D008522	Mediterranean Sea	An inland sea enclosed by Europe on the west and north, by Asia on the east, and Africa on the south.
D008974	Mollusca	A phylum of the kingdom Metazoa. Mollusca have soft, unsegmented bodies with an anterior head, a dorsal visceral mass, and a ventral foot. Most are encased in a protective calcareous shell. It includes the classes GASTROPODA; BIVALVIA; CEPHALOPODA; Aplacophora; Scaphopoda; Polyplacophora; and Monoplacophora.	Molluscs,Mollusks,Mollusc,Molluscas,Mollusk
D010125	Ostreidae	A family of marine mollusks in the class BIVALVIA, commonly known as oysters. They have a rough irregular shell closed by a single adductor muscle.	Oysters,Oyster
D004784	Environmental Monitoring	The monitoring of the level of toxins, chemical pollutants, microbial contaminants, or other harmful substances in the environment (soil, air, and water), workplace, or in the bodies of people and animals present in that environment.	Monitoring, Environmental,Environmental Surveillance,Surveillance, Environmental
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012621	Seasons	Divisions of the year according to some regularly recurrent phenomena usually astronomical or climatic. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed)	Seasonal Variation,Season,Seasonal Variations,Variation, Seasonal,Variations, Seasonal
D012623	Seawater	The salinated water of OCEANS AND SEAS that provides habitat for marine organisms.	Sea Water,Sea Waters,Seawaters,Water, Sea,Waters, Sea
D013045	Species Specificity	The restriction of a characteristic behavior, anatomical structure or physical system, such as immune response; metabolic response, or gene or gene variant to the members of one species. It refers to that property which differentiates one species from another but it is also used for phylogenetic levels higher or lower than the species.	Species Specificities,Specificities, Species,Specificity, Species
D013058	Mass Spectrometry	An analytical method used in determining the identity of a chemical based on its mass using mass analyzers/mass spectrometers.	Mass Spectroscopy,Spectrometry, Mass,Spectroscopy, Mass,Spectrum Analysis, Mass,Analysis, Mass Spectrum,Mass Spectrum Analysis,Analyses, Mass Spectrum,Mass Spectrum Analyses,Spectrum Analyses, Mass