The barnacle as a biomonitor for Cd: Radiolabelled experiments

• Published in: Marine environmental research Vol. 67; no. 4-5
• Main Authors: da Silva, Eduardo Teixeira, Ridd, Michael, Klumpp, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier science 10.05.2009
• Subjects: biomonitor; Cadmium-109; assimilation efficiency; uptake rate
• ISSN: 0141-1136; 1879-0291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2009.01.001

Radiolabelled experiments were carried out to measure necessary parameters in the development of a biodynamic ecotoxicological simulation model of Cd accumulation in the barnacle biomonitor . The Cd uptake rate constant from the dissolved phase, the Cd Assimilation Efficiency (AE) from suspended particulate matter (SPM) and the efflux rate constant were obtained using Cd. A Cd uptake rate constant from the dissolved phase () of 0.0072 L g h was determined for the barnacle under environmentally realistic dissolved Cd concentrations (maximum of 400 ng L). Cd AE from SPM was determined from the barnacle feeding on SPM with low and high chl concentrations, resulting in AEs of 39.0% and 48.7%, respectively, and an efflux rate of 0.0072 d. The difference between the AEs resulted from differences in chl :SPM ratios suggesting a general tendency of higher AE when SPM is enriched with chl . These results reinforce that the accuracy of ecotoxicological models for metal accumulation in organisms depends on how representative the selected food items are of the organism's natural diet.