Abstract
Autoradiography was used to identify α-track distributions in a series of shell sections from live mussels Dreissena polymorpha Pallas and dissected shells of dead mussels obtained from laboratory experiments using relatively high concentrations of 241Am in the exposure media, a required condition for successful use of this autoradiographic technique. A comparable distribution of α-tracks was recorded on autoradiographs from both live and dead shells suggesting that metabolism does not lead to any sizable changes in the process of 241Am adsorption (present in the extrapallial fluid) onto the inner surface of shell. Autoradiographs showed a preferential accumulation of 241Am in the organic periostracum, whereas the outer and inner shell layers were characterized by a relatively low α-tracks density. No α-tracks were observed in the central part of the shell in any of the samples. These observations will be useful for the development of a general model to explain bioaccumulation and biosorption processes of radionuclides into mollusk shells.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to O.L. Kossovaya, A.M. Naseka, V.A. Nikolaev, V.G. Savonenkov and J.D. Taylor for advice, A.S. Babaev for assistance with radionuclide analyses. The senior author, M. Z., undertook part of this work while holding a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship from Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada (DFAIT). This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR grant No. 08-05-00957), NATO CLG (No. 982994) and ALSAM foundation (USA).
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Zuykov, M., Pelletier, E., Rouleau, C. et al. Autoradiographic study on the distribution of 241Am in the shell of the freshwater zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha . Microchim Acta 167, 173–178 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-009-0239-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-009-0239-y