The efficiency of trace element uptake by seagrass Cymodocea serrulata in Rabigh lagoon, Red Sea

Abstract

The search for solutions to environmental pollution has been on the increase, with many questions recently as to which marine organisms can bioaccumulate trace elements in the marine ecosystem. Cadmium, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations in sediment, seawater, and seagrass compartments (root, rhizome, and leaf blade) were determined at Rabigh lagoon, Red Sea. This is to provide an insight into the potential of Cymodocea serrulata to bioaccumulate trace elements and as a good candidate to biomonitor these elements in a natural aquatic ecosystem. Results revealed significant variations in trace element concentrations across the three compartments of C. serrulata and the sites, with site S8 located in the most closed part of the lagoon recording the highest concentrations for all the trace elements. The translocation factor (TF rhizome/root = 1.00) of trace elements was higher in the root compartment. This implies that the root compartment is a better bioindicator of trace elements and has more potential to be utilized for biomonitoring. A significant positive correlation (p < 0.01) was established between the trace element concentrations in sediment, seawater, and the three compartments of C. serrulata except for Mn concentration in the compartments. The seagrass C. serrulata can be used for biomonitoring of trace elements in marine ecosystems as our results provide information on its capacity to bioaccumulate these elements. This is one of the key characteristics of a typical bioindicator of aquatic pollutants.

Seagrass Ecosystems of Tropical Islands As Bioindicator of Anthropogenic Trace Metal Contamination

“…For trace metals like Cr and Zn, BG-tissues of H. ovalis and H. beccarii are better indicators (Figures 5-7). This indicates small seagrass leaves of ANI can serve as short-term bioindicators, whereas roots can serve as long-term bioindicators of coastal trace metal contamination as observed for seagrasses worldwide (Aljahdali & Alhassan, 2022;H. Lee et al, 2023;A.…”

“…Seagrass plants are considered as efficient bioindicators of coastal trace metal contamination, as seagrasses possess trace metal accumulation capacity both from the water column and sediment (Aljahdali & Alhassan, 2022;Bonanno & Borg, 2018b;H. Lee et al, 2023;Zhang et al, 2021b).…”

“…In India, there are no trace metal toxicity studies on seagrasses Mishra & Farooq, 2022b). However, globally various seagrass species have been used to assess the toxic effects of trace metals (Aljahdali & Alhassan, 2022;de los Santos et al, 2019;Gu et al, 2021;Lin et al, 2016;Mishra et al, 2021 and references therein). Among these seagrass species studied, few are observed in India, i.e., C. serrulata, H. ovalis, H. uninervis, H. stipulacea and T. hemprichii and species like T. hemprichii, H. ovalis, H. uninervis and Cymodocea sp., are part of this study in ANI.…”