V. M. Shulkin, V. Ya. Kavun - Trace metal concentrations in the soft tissues of the mytilid mollusk Septifer bilocularis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Bivalvia) as a possible indicator of water quality at coastal coral reefs of Vietnam

BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2018, Vol. 44, No. 1, pp. 58-63

Trace metal concentrations in the soft tissues of the mytilid mollusk Septifer bilocularis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Bivalvia) as a possible indicator of water quality at coastal coral reefs of Vietnam

¹Pacific Geographical Institute, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok 690041;
²A.V. Zhirmunsky Institute of Marine Biology, National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok 690041

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Variability of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, and Ni concentrations was studied in soft tissues of the common mytilid mollusk Septifer bilocularis collected in May 2013 at the coral reefs along the entire Vietnam coast from the Gulf of Siam to Ha Long Bay. Salinity, suspended solids and nutrients were determined at sampling; these hydrochemical characteristics of the surrounding waters were controlled by the river runoff and the content of chlorophyll a. Concentration of Mn in the mollusk S. bilocularis was elevated under the river runoff effect. However, concentrations of Cd and Zn in S. bilocularis were the lowest within the areas of river influence and increased in waters of the central Vietnam and the Gulf of Siam, where upwellings are an important driving force. A comparison of our data with those obtained for Mytilidae from other regions showed that the mussel S. bilocularis can be recommended for biomonitoring of the concentration of trace metals in the waters of coral ecosystems along the Vietnam coast.

Key words: trace metals, Mytilidae, coral reefs, river runoff effect, upwelling, Vietnam.