Uptake of Nickel and Zinc by the Zebra Mussel Dreissena polymorpha

Abstract

Short-term experiments with nickel and zinc radioisotopesshowed that the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha takes up both"dissolved" (<0. 45 microm) and particulate fractions of thesemetals in water. Uptake of particulate nickel was significant (despite arelatively low affinity of nickel for particulate matter), though lessimportant than uptake of dissolved nickel. The relative importance ofdissolved and particulate zinc varied from an almost exclusive uptake ofdissolved zinc to uptake of particulate zinc only. This variability mayreflect a dependence on the composition of the suspended particulatematerial, in line with the observation that zinc uptake and bioaccumulationwere higher in high-turbidity water than in low-turbidity water. Metalexcretion differed between the two metals; more than half of the accumulatedzinc was excreted in twenty four hours, while no nickel excretion wasevident. The mussels removed a larger proportion of total watercolumn zincthan of total watercolumn nickel. Of the metal removed from the watercolumn,a majority of the zinc was biodeposited (as feces/pseudofeces) while most ofthe nickel was bioaccumulated. These results indicate that the introductionof the zebra mussel will result in element-specific decreases of watercolumnmetal levels, increases in metal bioaccumulation and increases in metalbiodeposition. Results also indicate that D. polymorpha tissue metallevels obtained in biomonitoring programs will generally reflect bothdissolved and particulate metal levels.

Modeling metal bioaccumulation in the invasive mussels Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis in the rivers Rhine and Meuse

“…Le et al with metal levels in water and food. The metal-specific relative contribution of the two sources to tissue accumulation found in this study is consistent with results from some other studies [12][13][14]. The present study confirmed the findings by Mersch et al [34] that cadmium concentrations in zebra mussels were mainly determined by exposure to the aqueous phase.…”

“…Trace metals can be accumulated in mussels from the dissolved phase and particulate matters or phytoplankton [12][13][14]. In the present study, phytoplankton was considered the main source of food for mussels.…”

Malacocoenoses of large lowland dam reservoirs of The Vistula River basin and selected aspects of their function

“…Increase in the content of nutrients, heavy metals and various toxic substances in bottom deposits as a result of biodeposition was indirectly found also by other authors (e.g. NALEPA et al 1991, REEDERS & BIJ DE VAATE 1992, MACKIE & WRIGHT 1994, KLERKS & FRALEIGH 1997, LA VALLE et al 1999. In the Zegrzyñski Reservoir enriching deposits with phosphorus and heavy metals (except Fe) was from twice to several times higher compared to enrichment with particulate matter.…”

“…PENTREATH 1973, ABBE & SANDERS 1990, LUOMA et al 1992, KLERKS & FRALEIGH 1997 which is also confirmed by significant correlations between metal concentration in the water and in tissues of molluscs from the Zegrzyñski Reservoir, especially D. polymorpha (JURKIEWICZ-KARNKOWSKA 2000). Some authors regard the pool of ionic forms of these elements dissolved in the water as their main source for bivalves (e.g.…”

Metal sources to the Baltic clam Macoma balthica (Mollusca: Bivalvia) in the southern Baltic Sea (the Gulf of Gdansk)

“…A similar assimilation mechanism was also suggested for a typical suspension feeder Dreissena polymorpha (Klerks and Fraleigh, 1997), although a second metal uptake pathway from sediments cannot be excluded (Kumblad et al, 2005). Uptake of Ni from solution can appear thus to be an important uptake pathway for benthic bivalves.…”