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Uptake of cadmium in tropical marine lamellibranchs, and effects on physiological behaviour

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The effect of cadmium introduced as inorganic salts (chloride, nitrate, sulfate, carbonate, acetate and iodide) or organic chelates (with EDTA, NTA and humic acid) on the physiological behaviour of six species of tropical lamellibranchs — arcid blood clamsAnadara granosa andA. rhombea, venerid clamsMeretrix casta andKatelysia opima, and mytilid musselsPerna viridis andP. indica, collected from various intertidal areas in southern India from 1986 to 1989 — was evaluated. Inorganic salts of Cd are reported to completely ionize upon introduction to full-strength sea water and form predominantly (97%) chloride complexes. Some inorganic Cd salts, therefore, would hardly affect physiological parameters. However, bioaccumulation of Cd was greatest upon exposure to Cd introduced as sulfate, followed by iodide, acetate, chloride, nitrate and carbonate; 96-h LC50's also varied, but in a different order, being highest for chloride (3.5µg ml−1), followed by nitrate, acetate, iodide and sulfate (1.8µg ml−1). Furthermore, Cd levels increased linearly with time of exposure and levels in medium, and were species-specific, being highest in the arcid clams, followed by the venerid clams and mytilid mussels. The presence of other metals such as Zn reduced bioaccumulation of Cd significantly (P < 0.001), but the reverse was not true. Upon exposure to Cd in the presence of Cu, on the other hand, accumulation of both metals was reduced by 15 to 20%. In the presence of organic chelators — EDTA, NTA and reduced glutathione (GSH) — Cd accumulation was significantly inhibited, by 1/2 to 1/3. Humic acid, on the other hand, had no effect. Cd levels in soft tissues were inversely related to ambient salinity in the range of 12 to 32‰. However, both Zn and Cu significantly inhibited Cd accumulation irrespective of salinity. Cd increased the rate of filtration inAnadara granosa over the first 24 h by 28%, but on prolonged exposure (96 h) that rate decreased significantly, by 50%. Zn alone and in the presence of Cd, on the contrary, initially reduced filtration activity, which subsequently increased to control levels upon continued exposure. Cu alone and in combination with Cd and Zn also significantly (P < 0.001) inhibited filtration relative to controls. This combination also progressively reduced respiratory activity with time, the maximum decrease being 80% after 96 h of exposure. Furthermore, impact of all three metals on both filtration rate and oxygen consumption was initially synergistic, but changed to antagonistic upon prolonged exposure up to 96 h.

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  1. Health Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, 400 085, Bombay, India

    B. Patel & K. Anthony

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Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe

Deceased. Please send all correspondence and requests for reprints to Dr. S. Patel at the same address

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Patel, B., Anthony, K. Uptake of cadmium in tropical marine lamellibranchs, and effects on physiological behaviour. Mar. Biol. 108, 457–470 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01313656

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