Effects of temperature on uptake of aqueous metals by blue mussels Mytilus edulis from Arctic and temperate waters

Abstract

Arctic waters are contaminated with metals and radionuclides from diverse sources. Here we present experimental results evaluating the bioaccumulation of dissolved metals by the mussel Mytilus edulis, widely used as a food source and also as a bioindicator of coastal contamination. We used radioisotopes to determine the uptake and excretion of Ag, Am, Cd, Co and Zn by M. edulis collected from both Arctic and temperate waters at 2 and 12°C. For both mussel populations, uptake rates (k u ) of Cd, Co and Zn were 50 to 60% slower at 2°C than at 12°C, mainly attributable to differences in mussel filtration rates at these temperatures, whereas uptake of Ag and Am was not affected by temperature. For both populations, the first-order loss constant for all metals from the slowest exchanging pool (k e ) was 20 to 50% smaller at 2°C than at 12°C. As well, the loss of Cd and Zn was significantly slower in the temperate mussels than in Arctic mussels. Because temperature had similar effects on uptake and efflux, the concentration factor for all metals from water (CF w = k u /k e ) did not vary significantly between temperatures, but CF w values for Cd and Zn in temperate mussels were 15-fold and 2.6-fold higher, respectively, than in Arctic mussels. Thus, while temperature does not exert a major influence on net bioaccumulation of aqueous metal by M. edulis, Arctic mussels may accumulate dissolved Cd and Zn to a lesser degree than temperate mussels. KEY WORDS: Contaminants · Kinetic modeling · Radionuclides · Bioaccumulation · Concentration factorsResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

Lysosomal responses to heat-shock of seasonal temperature extremes in Cd-exposed mussels

“…In agreement, metal bioaccumulation in mussel soft tissues is known to follow a seasonal trend (Regoli and Orlando, 1994;Ivankovic et al, 2005;Catsiki and Florou, 2006). Besides, the tissue concentration of the metal was multiplied by 4 after 6 h heat-shock in the two studied seasons, which seems to be reasonable because pollutant uptake is enhanced at high temperatures (Kennedy and Walsh, 1997;Baines et al, 2006;Sheidek et al, 2007;Sokolova and Lannig, 2008).…”

“…Likewise, mussels respond to pollution and other environmental stress sources in a way that can be measured through biological effect biomarkers; that is why they are widely used as sentinels in coastal ecosystem health assessment (UNEP/RAMOGE, 1999;ICES, 2012;Marigómez et al, 2013a). Besides, recent investigations have reported interactive effects of either elevated temperature or heat-shock with pollution (Sokolova, 2004;Baines et al, 2006;Lannig et al, 2006a,b;Sokolova and Lannig, 2008;Ivanina et al, 2009;Negri et al, 2013;Izagirre et al, 2014;Múgica et al, 2015).…”

Climate change and seafood safety: Human health implications

“…pared to 2°C. Selenium uptake from this species was not substantially affected by temperature (Baines, Fisher, & Kinney, 2005;Baines, Fisher, & Kinney, 2006). Mubiana and Blust (2007) evaluated the uptake and accumulation of copper, cobalt, cadmium and lead in M. edulis at different temperatures (6-26°C) and showed a positive relationship between temperature and cadmium and lead accumulation, while cobalt and copper were independent and inversely related to temperature, respectively.…”

Seawater temperature effect on metal accumulation and toxicity in the subantarctic Macquarie Island isopod, Exosphaeroma gigas

“…In the natural world organisms are also exposed to metals via their diet and this pathway can be a significant factor in the bioaccumulation (and possibly toxicity) of metals (Croteau and Luoma, 2005). In one of the few studies that explore the influence of temperature on dietary uptake and loss rates, Baines et al (2006) found that dietary accumulation actually increased at lower temperatures and this was attributed to a longer gut passage time in colder waters. Uptake and potential toxicity via food is clearly important, but is rarely considered in standard toxicity or bioaccumulation assays and may influence the assessment of temperature effects on subantarctic organisms.…”