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Biomonitoring of coastal pollution in the Gulf of Gabes (SE, Tunisia): use of Posidonia oceanica seagrass as a bioindicator and its mat as an archive of coastal metallic contamination

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 24, pages 22214–22225 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Within the framework of a study on the extent and history of marine pollution in the central area of Gabes Gulf, the concentrations of four trace metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) were assessed in three different tissues of the seagrass species, Posidonia oceanica (leaves, rhizomes, and roots), in the mat of P. oceanica meadows at different depths from the sea floor (− 30 to − 150 cm) and in sediments. The results showed that P. oceanica leaves accumulate more Cd, Cu, and Zn, whereas Pb was found to be more concentrated in roots. The analysis of P. oceanica mat highlighted a clear decreasing gradient of trace metal concentrations from lower (− 30 cm) to higher (− 150 cm) depths. Considering that P. oceanica mat continuously rises above the initial level, with a rate of 1 m per century (~1 cm year−1; Molinier and Picard Ann Inst Océanogr Fr 27:157–234, 1952), the latter observation suggested that the pollution level in Gabes Gulf increased continuously during the last few decades. The results of the P. oceanica mapping in the study area showed a continuous regression of its meadows as well as its local disappearance from various areas in the central part of Gabes Gulf. The current status of P. oceanica is most likely due to the cumulative effects of the discharges from the coastal industrial complex of Gabes-Ghannouche represented mainly by the phosphogypsum discharges. This study confirms the usefulness of P. oceanica not only as a bioindicator of the “health status” of coastal ecosystems but also as a record register tracing back the history and temporal evolution of coastal contamination level.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all those who helped in field sampling and laboratory analyses and those who provided useful data, in particular, the “Association de la Protection de l’Oasis de Chatt Sidi Abd Essalam.” We also express our sincere thanks to the reviewers who helped to improve the quality of the manuscript through their constructive comments and suggestions.

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Affiliations

  1. Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Université de Toulouse, UMR 5563 CNRS/UPS/IRD/CNES, 14 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France

    Radhouan El Zrelli, Pierre Courjault-Radé & Sylvie Castet

  2. Institut National Agronomique de Tunis (INAT), Université de Carthage, 43 Avenue Charles Nicolle, 1082, Tunis, Maharajène, Tunisia

    Radhouan El Zrelli & Nejla Bejaoui

  3. Research Unit of Integrative Biology and Evolutionary and Functional Ecology of Aquatic Systems, Faculty of Science of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, University Campus, 2092, Tunis, Tunisia

    Lotfi Rabaoui & Lamjed Mansour

  4. Marine Studies Section, Center for Environment and Water, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

    Lotfi Rabaoui

  5. CEMES-CNRS and Université de Toulouse, 29 Rue J. Marvig, 31055, Toulouse, France

    Nabil Daghbouj

  6. Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Lamjed Mansour

  7. Enzymes and Bioconversion Unit, National School of Engineering, University of Sfax, Km 4 Road Soukra, 3038, Sfax, Tunisia

    Rafik Balti

  8. Agronutrition, 3 Allée de l’Orchidée, 31390, Carbonne, Toulouse, France

    Faouzi Attia

  9. SADEF-Pôle d’Aspach, Rue de la Station, F-68700, Aspach-le-Bas, France

    Sylvain Michel

Authors
  1. Radhouan El Zrelli
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  2. Pierre Courjault-Radé
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  3. Lotfi Rabaoui
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  4. Nabil Daghbouj
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  5. Lamjed Mansour
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  6. Rafik Balti
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  7. Sylvie Castet
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  8. Faouzi Attia
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  9. Sylvain Michel
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  10. Nejla Bejaoui
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Correspondence to Radhouan El Zrelli.

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El Zrelli, R., Courjault-Radé, P., Rabaoui, L. et al. Biomonitoring of coastal pollution in the Gulf of Gabes (SE, Tunisia): use of Posidonia oceanica seagrass as a bioindicator and its mat as an archive of coastal metallic contamination. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 22214–22225 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9856-x

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Keywords

  • Posidonia oceanica
  • Mat
  • Gulf of Gabes
  • Archive of metallic contamination
  • Phosphogypsum