Trace metals in sediments and benthic animals from aquaculture ponds near a mangrove wetland in Southern China

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 117; no. 1-2; pp. 486 - 491
• Main Authors: Wu, Hao, Liu, Jinling, Bi, Xiangyang, Lin, Guanghui, Feng, Christopher C, Li, Zhengjie, Qi, Fei, Zheng, Tianling, Xie, Liqi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15.04.2017
• Subjects: Animals; Aquaculture; Bivalvia; Brachyura; China; Decapoda (Crustacea); Environmental Monitoring; Geologic Sediments - analysis; Mangrove wetland; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Ponds; Rhizophoraceae; Trace metal; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Wetlands; Trace metal; Mangrove wetland; Aquaculture
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.01.026

In this study, we measured the concentrations of trace metals (Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb and Hg) in typical cultured animals (crabs, clams, and shrimps) and sediments from aquaculture ponds nearby mangrove wetlands in Zhangjiang estuary, China. The contents of Cr, Cu, Cd, and Pb in mangrove sediments were significantly higher than those in pond sediments, while an inverse distribution was observed for Zn, As, and Hg. Significantly higher concentrations of trace metals were found in clams from the mangrove mudflats compared to those from the aquaculture ponds. The sources of trace metals in the clams were primarily from organic fertilizer, whereas those in the shrimp were from contaminated sediment. The results of geo-accumulation index and the ecological risk assessment indicated that the aquaculture ponds near the mangrove wetlands in this subtropical estuary posed a special risk of endogenous and exogenous trace metal pollution to nearby systems. •Risk assessment of 7 trace metals in sediment and animals in aquaculture ponds•Aquaculture ponds had been polluted by As, Zn, and Hg.•Clam and fodder ponds suffered from very high ecological risk.•Crab and shrimp ponds were in the state of considerable ecological risk.