Comparative Studies on Uptake Pathway of Cadmium by Perna viridis

Experiments were designed to expose the filter-feeding bivalve Perna viridis to different Cd-contaminated water environments in order to compare the different pathways through which Cd is accumulated. Results show that mussels can accumulate Cd through seawater, food, sediment and suspended particle pathways in a short period of time. Mussels＇ uptake of Cd through the seawater pathway reaches the highest concentration approximately 3 and 9 times larger than through the algae and sediment pathways respectively after 7 d. This indicates that the Cd-accumulation through seawater is most efficient. Results also indicate that the uptake directly through contaminated algae, particles or sediments ingested by mussels is less important when compared with the uptake of Cd by mussels through the seawater pathway. Metal uptake pathways and mechanisms of bioaccumulation by marine bivalve are also discussed in this paper.

Uptake,Depuration and Subcellular Distribution of Cadmium in Various Tissues of Perna viridis

Green-lipped mussels (Perna viridis) were collected from a local mariculture site and placed in pre-cleaned sea water tanks containing 0, 0.2, 0.5 and 1.3 μg/ml CdCl2. The level of Cd in the gill, viscera and gonad was measured. The concentration of Cd in the 3 tissues increased linearly over 4 days' of exposure. The rate of uptake depends on the concentration of Cd in the water. In the 3 tissues studied, the maximum rate of uptake (Vmax) was highest in the gill (500μg/g dry weight/day), followed by viscera (100μg/g dry weight/day) and gonad (56.8 μg/g dry weight/day). The majority of the Cd taken up was bound to a fraction of the heat-stable proteins similar to metallothioneins. The rate of Cd depuration from the tissues was poor. There was no change in Cd concentration over 8 days' depuration in clean water

BIOMONITORING OF AMBIENT CONCENTRATIONS OF CADMIUM,COPPER,LEAD AND ZINC IN THE COASTAL WETLAND WATER BY USING GILLS OF THE GREEN-LIPPED MUSSEL PERNA VIRIDIS

The distribution and concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were determined in the gills and remaining soft tissues of Perna viridis collected from 12 geographical sites (10 from the west and 2 from the east coastal waters) of Peninsular Malaysia. All samples showed that the levels of Cd, Pb and Zn were generally higher in the gill than those in the remaining soft tissues. These results could be due to the fact that gills are the first organ of metal accumulation and larger surface area with mucus sheets in the organ. Since the mussel gill is a better accumulator of Cd, Pb and Zn of ambient seawater than remaining soft tissue, it is a potential indicator of ambient levels of dissolved metals in the ambient seawater. However, further validations based on laboratory conditions are needed.

Effects of ocean acidification on the metabolic rates of three species of bivalve from southern coast of China

Oceanic uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide results in a decrease in seawater pH, a process known as "ocean acidification". The pearl oyster Pinctada fucata, the noble scallop Chlamys nobilis, and the green-lipped mussel Perna viridis are species of economic and ecological importance along the southern coast of China. We evaluated the effects of seawater acidification on clearance, respiration, and excretion rates in these three species. The animals were reared in seawater at pH 8.1 (control), 7.7, or 7.4. The clearance rate was highest at pH 7.7 for P. fucata and at pH 8.1 for C. nobilis and P. viridis. The pH had little effecton the respiration rate of P. fucata and P. viridis. In contrast, the respiration rate was significantly lower atpH 7.4 in C. nobilis. The excretion rate was significantly lower at pH 7.4 than pH 8.1 for all species. Theresults indicate that the reduction in seawater pH likely affected the metabolic process (food intake, oxygenconsumption, and ammonia excretion) of these bivalves. Different species respond differently to seawateracidification. Further studies are needed to demonstrate the exact mechanisms for this effect and evaluateadaptability of these bivalves to future acidified oceans.

Short-term metal accumulation and MTLP induction in the digestive glands of Perna virdis exposed to Zn and Cd

Time-dependent Zn and Cd accumulation and metallothionein like protein （MTLP） induction in the digestive glands of mussels, Perna virdis, were measured under different exposure conditions. The initial uptake rate at start of chase （ρ0） and mean residence time （τ） were calculated to determine the physiological response of organisms and their potential detoxification mechanisms. It was found that in digestive glands, Zn had obviously higher ρ0 and shorter mean residence time than Cd, indicating that these two metals had different accumulation dynamics even though they were very close in the periodic element table. MTLP levels in digestive glands varied from 0.51 to 1.05 μg/g ww （wet weight）. The MTLP level increased continuously when mussels were exposed to low and middle levels of Zn and Cd media, and reached maximal levels at day 4, then decreased when they were exposed to high level Zn and Cd solutions. With regard to the fraction of Zn and Cd accumulated in the digestive glands, the ratios of soluble metal to total metal decreased continuously after exposure in low and middle levels of Zn and Cd media, and decreased continuously in the first 4 days and then to level off when mussels were exposed to media with high concentration of Zn and Cd. Results suggested that both MTLP induction and metal insolubilization were detoxification processes in digestive glands of mussels.