Metal loadings in estuarine bivalve and gastropod shellfish in response to socioeconomic development in watershed

• Published in: Marine environmental research Vol. 176; p. 105593
• Main Authors: Liu, Xun, Yu, Shen, Chen, Peiji, Hong, Bing, Zhang, Yan, Lin, Xiaodan, Ma, Tao, Zhou, Tongtong, Li, Yuehai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2022; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Animals; Anthropogenic factors; Bioindicators; Bivalve; Bivalvia; Brackishwater environment; Brackishwater molluscs; Cadmium; Chromium; Contamination; Copper; Dimensions; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Estuaries; Estuarine dynamics; Estuarine environments; Fractionation; Gastropod; Gastropoda; Geologic Sediments; Heavy metals; Human influences; Indicator organisms; Indicator species; Lead; Marine molluscs; Mercury; Mercury (metal); Metalloids; Metals; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Mollusks; Multi-estuaries; Shellfish; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomic pattern; Socioeconomics; Specifications; Stable isotopes; Tissue; Tissue and shell; Tissues; Urbanization; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Watersheds; Zinc; Gastropod; Bivalve; Tissue and shell; Metals; Multi-estuaries; Socioeconomic pattern
• ISSN: 0141-1136; 1879-0291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105593

Metal contamination in estuary was monitored globally using shellfish while estuarine metal loadings were influenced by socioeconomic development in watershed, i.e., a watershed-estuary chain effect. Socioeconomic pattern of metal loadings in estuarine shellfish has scarcely been studied. Eight metals and metalloids (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) highly associated with anthropogenic activities were quantified in tissue and shell of bivalves and gastropods (two feeding-habits) among 7 estuaries along the Southeastern China coast in the period 2016–2019. Results indicated that Cu and Zn in shellfish had the greatest loadings at 1,663 and 6,828 mg kg−1 dry mass in tissue and 387 and 151 mg kg−1 dry mass in shell, respectively, in the most developed Estuary Yong. Metal loadings in tissue and shell of bivalves (6 common species) and gastropods (3 common species) in the estuaries were highly associated with urbanization and socioeconomic indicators in their watersheds. The socioeconomic patterns had evident shellfish class-specification and metal-dependency due to the feeding-habit. The class-specification was confirmed by the fractionation of stable isotope compositions for the socioeconomic pattern of Pb loadings in both tissue and shell. In short, both shellfish class-specification and metal-dependency hinted that multi-bioindicators might be required for a comprehensive understanding of the estuarine environment quality, in particular at two dimensions of water and sediment. [Display omitted] •Class-specification and metal-dependency were obvious for shellfish metal loadings.•Fractionation of stable Pb isotope compositions confirmed the class-specification for metal loadings..•Metal loadings in shellfish were highly associated with urbanization in watershed.•Watershed development evidently influenced metal loadings in estuarine shellfish.