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Simultaneous assessment of environmental impact on condition and trace metal availability in zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha transplanted into the Wiltz River, Luxembourg. Comparison with the aquatic moss

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Abstract

Caged freshwater mussels Dreissena polymorpha were transplanted for three months at ten sites along the Wiltz River in the North of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. Three different biological parameters were employed to assess the physiological condition of the molluscs after 27, 51, 75, and 90 days of exposure: mortality, reattachment success, and dry weight. Besides the introduced zebra mussels, translocated aquatic mosses, Fontinalis antipyretica, were employed as a second trace metal indicator, though with a different experimental design. The moss tufts were replaced in toto every time the mussels were sampled in order to separately monitor temporal changes in the water metal levels. The biological responses of the mussels and trace metal accumulation in their tissues reflected the successive major anthropogenic impacts on the river. The differences observed in the biological significance of the examined condition parameters suggest the use of several descriptors in combination for an accurate in situ assessment of the biological impact of water pollution. The precise localization of metal input sources (i.e., natural Cd, Pb and industrial Cd, Cr, Cu, Sn) and the assessment of their spatial impact were particularly successful with Dreissena polymorpha. The major factor influencing metal concentrations in the molluscs was the change in dry weight. This source of variability could be eliminated by the calculation of metal body burdens. The comparison of the contamination profiles in mussels and in mosses revealed specific accumulation properties for both indicators. In particular, Cr and Sn were hardly detected in the bryophytes. The coherent data obtained for Cd, Cu, and Pb suggest that the monitoring results in translocated zebra mussels remained reliable even when severe changes in the condition of the molluscs occurred.

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  1. Laboratory of Ecology, University of Metz, B.P. 4116, 57040, Metz Cedex 01, France

    Jacques Mersch & Jean-Claude Pihan

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  1. Jacques Mersch
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  2. Jean-Claude Pihan
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Mersch, J., Pihan, JC. Simultaneous assessment of environmental impact on condition and trace metal availability in zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha transplanted into the Wiltz River, Luxembourg. Comparison with the aquatic moss. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 25, 353–364 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00210727

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00210727

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