engleski

Mytilus galloprovincialis as a bioindicator of environmental conditions: the case of the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea

The marine mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) lives attached to the surface of hard substrata, where its exposure and relative immobility allows it to record changes in ambient seawater. It is also found along the Eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. Oxygen and carbon isotopes were analyzed for calcite and aragonite in separate shell layers, while major, minor and trace elements in the bulk shell were analyzed to evaluate environmental conditions, such as the temperature of carbonate deposition, freshwater influence and locations of anthropogenic pollution. We found that, on average, aragonite is enriched by 1.1‰ in 13C and by 0.2‰ in 18O compared to calcite. The calculated temperatures for M. galloprovincialis shell growth from the investigated area range from 13.4 – 20.9°C for calcite and 16.6 – 23.1°C for aragonite. According to the δ18O and δ13C values of shell layers, we can separate the investigated area into three locations: those with more influence of fresh water, those with less influence of fresh water and those with marine environments. The highest concentrations of manganese, barium, boron, arsenic, nickel, chromium were observed in shells from Omiš, Bačvice, Zablace (Central Adriatic) and Sv. Ivan (South Adriatic), where chemical and heavy industries are located, and where sewage is known to be discharged into coastal areas. The highest concentrations of zinc, lead and copper were measured in samples from Pula, Rijeka and Gruz, where there are also ports in addition to industry.

Mytilus galloprovincialis ; isotopes ; environmental conditions ; Adriatic Sea

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