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Assessment of Environmental Quality in the Tamaulipas Laguna Madre, Gulf of Mexico, by Integrated Biomarker Response Using the Cross-Barred Venus Clam Chione elevata

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Abstract

The entire Laguna Madre of Tamaulipas is a natural protected area and a Priority Marine Region of Mexico. However, its important biodiversity and high levels of endemism are threatened by the discharge of different pollutants and activities related to the ocean oil and gas industry. Therefore, the assessment of these effects on this marine ecosystem is of paramount importance. At present, the joint approach of monitoring chemical contaminant levels, alongside the use of pollution biomarkers as surrogate measures of biological impact within the environment, provides the better evaluation of the environmental hazard. Within this context, a biomonitoring study using native Chione elevata mussels sampled from four locations along the Mexican Laguna Madre coasts evaluated whether a battery of select biomarkers was suitable for identifying and quantifying pollution-induced stress in mussels. The levels of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), carboxylesterase (CaE), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), glutathione s-transferase (GST), and the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) were measured in soft tissues samples. Different metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, and Fe) as well as total heavy hydrocarbons were also determined in sediments. Higher concentrations of metals were observed in sampling localities with marine influence possibly related to the presence of marine grass. The concentration of total heavy hydrocarbons, as expected, was higher in sites with intensive fishing activity. The integrated biomarker response (IBR) and the condition index of mussels allowed discriminating between localities of continental and marine influence, revealing that the sampling stations with continental influence were subjected to a greater stress as a result of anthropogenic effects.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Biol. Gabriela Rendon for her laboratory help, Biol. Alejandra Arreola for reviewing the English version of the manuscript, and Biol. Jose Carlos Pizaña Soto and Elva Ivonne Bustamante Moreno from CONANP for their support in the technical opinion for the collection of clams.

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The work received financial support from the Programs for the Support of Scientific and Technological Research (CONACYT 105116, PAICYT CN781-11).

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  1. Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Departamento de Ecología, Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL, Apartado Postal F-96, 66450, San Nicolás de los Garza, N.L., Mexico

    Carlos Aguilera, Antonio Leija, Milton Torres & Roberto Mendoza

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Aguilera, C., Leija, A., Torres, M. et al. Assessment of Environmental Quality in the Tamaulipas Laguna Madre, Gulf of Mexico, by Integrated Biomarker Response Using the Cross-Barred Venus Clam Chione elevata. Water Air Soil Pollut 230, 27 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-019-4078-0

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