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Relationships between trace elements in Posidonia oceanica shoots and in sediment fractions along Latium coasts (northwestern Mediterranean Sea)

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Abstract

The Mediterranean endemic seagrass Posidonia oceanica is widely used as a sensitive bioindicator of trace elements (TEs) in the coastal environment. Therefore, a bulk of data exist on TE levels from impacted versus unpolluted sites while only recent studies started comparing TE accumulation in plant compartments versus both water column and sediment characteristics. In this study, six TEs (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb) were analyzed in P. oceanica shoots related to depth (−10 and −20 m) and to TE concentrations in the different grain size fractions of the sediment, from two Sites of Community interest (SIC) in the central Tyrrhenian Sea. TE concentrations in both shoots and sediment were generally low, except for Cr. Cu was the only element showing significantly different concentrations at the two sites while As differed significantly between samples taken at different depths. TE concentrations in the unsieved sediment were found uncorrelated to TEs in shoots except for the important nutrient Cu (positive correlation). The finest sediment fractions were enriched in TEs and significantly correlated to Cd, Cr, Cu, and Ni concentrations in the shoots.

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Acknowledgments

This research was carried on within the research project LIFE09NAT/IT/00176-Poseidone “Urgent Measures to protect Posidonia meadows in northern Latium.”

Authors’ contributions

RC, FC, and PP contributed to the conceptual development of the work. RC and PP wrote the MS and carried out the statistical analyses. IB and FF carried out the laboratory analyses. All the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Business and Law, University of Cassino, Via S. Angelo-Campus, Folcara, 030343, Cassino, Italy

    I. Bravo & P. Papetti

  2. Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, Tuscia University, Viale dell’Università s/n, 01100, Viterbo, Italy

    F. Focaracci & F. Cerfolli

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  1. I. Bravo
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  2. F. Focaracci
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Correspondence to P. Papetti.

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Bravo, I., Focaracci, F., Cerfolli, F. et al. Relationships between trace elements in Posidonia oceanica shoots and in sediment fractions along Latium coasts (northwestern Mediterranean Sea). Environ Monit Assess 188, 157 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5122-9

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