Bioindicators for Monitoring Radioactive Pollution of the Marine Environment. Experiments on the Feasibility of Mytilus as a Bioindicator in Estuarine Environments - with Some Comparisons to Fucus

摘要

Mussels (Mytilus edulis) are globally used as bioindicators for pollution of coastal and estuarine environments by metals and radionuclides. The aim of this work has been to improve the use of Mytilus edulis as a bioindicator by gaining knowledge on its accumulation and loss of certain radionuclides ( exp 65 Zn, exp 57 Co, exp 54 Mn, exp 51 Cr, exp 59 Fe and exp 134 Cs) under different field-comparable environmental conditions. A laboratory set-up in which natural concentrations of suspended phytoplankton are kept constant for weeks was evolved for the accumulation experiments with mussels. Accumulation via food intake was studied by comparing experiments with different concentrations of contaminated phytoplankton (Phaeodactylum tricornutum). This comparison showed no effect of varying the phytoplankton concentration. Decreasing the salinity and increasing the temperature elevated the influx (initial rate of accumulation) of the radionuclides. During one year excretion experiments were performed by weekly wholebody countings of laboratory contaminated mussels which had been re-introduced in their natural environment. A seasonal effect on the biological half life was detected for exp 65 Zn. It is concluded that mussels are useful bioindicators provided the variability. (Atomindex citation 13:656728)