HR: 10:45h
AN: NB52A-02    [Abstracts]
TI: Accumulation and Growth Responses in Corbicula fluminea Along a Longitudinal Gradient of Metal Exposure
AU: * Peltier, G L
EM: loeffler@uga.edu
AF: Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 United States
AU: Wright, M S
EM: mswright@uga.edu
AF: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802 United States
AU: Hopkins, W A
EM: hopkins@srel.edu
AF: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802 United States
AU: Meyer, J L
EM: jlmeyer@uga.edu
AF: Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 United States
AB: In a previous study, we investigated the concentrations of arsenic, selenium, cadmium, and mercury associated with different land uses in a large river system using an indicator species Corbicula fluminea (Asiatic clam). We found that Corbicula fluminea collected from sites downstream of discharges from coal-fired power plants (CFPP) had significantly higher tissue concentrations of selenium and cadmium than all other land use types. In order to quantify the bioavailability of metals associated with CFPP discharges in a lotic system, we designed a three month experiment in which clams were deployed in cages at four sites along a 3.5 km reach of stream at the Savannah River Site. We assessed metal accumulation in the clam tissue and shell growth over the entire reach. After 84 days, clams at the upstream, most contaminated site had the highest growth rate and highest mean concentrations of arsenic (7.85 ppm), selenium (17.05 ppm), and cadmium (7.28 ppm). Tissue concentrations decreased rapidly over the first 400 m rather than gradually along the entire reach.
DE: 1803 Anthropogenic effects
DE: 9902 NABS Student Award Applied Research
SC: North American Benthological Society [NB]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly