Elemental composition of freshwater sponges Drulia uruguayensis and Drulia cristata collected in the Tapajós River

• Published in: X-ray spectrometry Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 59 - 62
• Main Authors: de Barros, Iuri Bezerra, Santos, Emily Silva Gomes dos, Gomes, Desirée Emelly Dantas, Volkmer-Ribeiro, Cecília, Silva, Cláudia Cândida, da Veiga Junior, Valdir Florêncio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bognor Regis Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2013; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Aluminum; Bioaccumulation; Environmental chemistry; Freshwater; Freshwaters; Marine; Reproduction; Sponges; Sulfur; Titanium
• ISSN: 0049-8246; 1097-4539
• DOI: 10.1002/xrs.2430

Sponges are aquatic, predominantly marine animals, but are also represented by several families that inhabit freshwater environments. All freshwater sponges are included in the Demospongiae class and so have skeletons composed of silicious spicules. Because they are filter feeders, they have high potential for bioaccumulation of metals, with various implications and applications in environmental chemistry. This study describes the inorganic chemical composition of two Amazonian species of freshwater sponges: Drulla cristata and Drulla uruguayensis, using energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence. In both species, the major constituent was silicon (36.75% and 36.05%, respectively), followed by aluminum. Elements such as sulfur, chlorine, copper, and titanium were selectively accumulated and were detected only in the species D. cristata, suggesting its use in environmental characterization studies. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.