Services on Demand
Journal
Article
Indicators
- Cited by SciELO
- Access statistics
Related links
- Similars in SciELO
Share
Ciencias marinas
Print version ISSN 0185-3880
Abstract
MARIN-GUIRAO, Lázaro; CESAR, Augusto; MARIN, Arnaldo and VITA, Rubén. Assessment of sediment metal contamination in the Mar Menor coastal lagoon (SE Spain): Metal distribution, toxicity, bioaccumulation and benthic community structure. Cienc. mar [online]. 2005, vol.31, n.2, pp.413-428. ISSN 0185-3880.
The Mar Menor coastal lagoon is one of the largest of the Mediterranean Sea. Ancient mining activities in the mountains near its southern basin have resulted in metal contamination in the sediment. The metal bioavailability of these sediments was determined through laboratory toxicity bioassays using three Mediterranean sea urchin species and two amphipod species, and by means of field bioaccumulation measurements involving the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa. The effect of sediment metal contamination on benthic communities was assessed through benthic infaunal analyses, applying classical descriptive parameters and multivariate techniques. The sediments affected by the mining activities presented high levels of toxicity and metals were also accumulated in the seagrass tissues, pointing to metal bioavailability. Although the classical benthic indices were not clear indicators of disturbance, the multivariate techniques applied provided more consistent conclusions.
Keywords : metals; toxicity; bioaccumulation; amphipods; sea urchins; seagrass; coastal lagoon; Mediterranean Sea.