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Metal (Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd) concentration patterns in components of a macrophyte-based coastal lagoon ecosystem

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Abstract

Information on the metal biological fate in macrophyte-based coastal lagoons is provided; this information can contribute to the assessment of the environmental effects of metal pollution and to the development of predictive models for rational management of coastal lagoons. Iron, Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd concentrations in the dominant invertebrate and fish species of Monolimni Lagoon, Mediterranean Sea, as well as in potential major sources for metal accumulation in these animals (water, sediments, angiosperms, seaweeds), were measured. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was conducted using metal concentrations in invertebrates and fishes. All five metal concentrations loaded significantly on the first PCA axis; however, Zn and Cu loadings were less significant than Cd and even less than Fe and Pb ones. The samples of deposit-feeding invertebrates were separated from those of the rest of the organisms (browsing, herbivorous and carnivorous invertebrates, carnivorous gobies and muscle tissues of detritivorous mullets) along the first PCA axis. Deposit-feeding invertebrates displayed the highest Fe and Pb contents, and in general, the highest or comparatively high Cd, Zn and Cu ones. Carnivorous gobies showed comparatively high Zn contents and carnivorous shrimps the highest Cu ones, while muscle tissues of detritivorous mullets had low metal loads. In addition, there was no essential increase in metal concentrations corresponding to the increasing trophic level (autotrophs, to herbivores, to carnivores). Our findings suggest that (a) the variability in Fe, Pb and Cd contents in invertebrates and gobies depends at least to some extent on interspecific differences in feeding habits—deposit feeders accumulated the highest metal amounts probably due to high rates of uptake from sediments, (b) the variability in Zn and Cu concentrations in these organisms depends also on other interspecific differences apart from those in feeding habits, (c) metal accumulation in mullet muscle tissues does not depend markedly on feeding habits and (d) the trophic transfer of macrophyte-bound metals to the coastal lagoon food web is of relatively minor importance.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Dr A. Mogias and Ms V. Kalpia for sampling and laboratory assistance, to Prof. H. W. Jäger and Dr H. W. Koyro (Institute of Plant Ecology, University of Giessen, Germany) for their support with the AAS analyses, to Prof. S. Haritonidis (Institute of Botany, University of Thessaloniki, Hellas) for his valuable suggestions, to Dr A. Markos (Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Macedonia, Hellas) for assistance with the package stats for R and to Dr C. Arvanitidis (Institute of Marine Biology of Crete, Hellas) for the critical reading of the manuscript. We would also like to thank three anonymous referees for their valuable comments on a previous version of the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Environmental Research and Education, Democritus University of Thrace, Nea Hili, 68100, Alexandroupolis, Greece

    Theodora Boubonari & Theodoros Kevrekidis

  2. Department of Botany, School of Biology, University of Thessaloniki, P.O. Box 109, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Paraskevi Malea

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  1. Theodora Boubonari
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  2. Theodoros Kevrekidis
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Correspondence to Theodoros Kevrekidis.

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Handling editor: L. M. Bini

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Boubonari, T., Kevrekidis, T. & Malea, P. Metal (Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd) concentration patterns in components of a macrophyte-based coastal lagoon ecosystem. Hydrobiologia 635, 27–36 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-009-9858-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-009-9858-x

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