MP9 Metals and Bioaccumulation
Monday, 14 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM in Exhibit Hall

(LEE-1117-603780) Relationship between clearance rate and dissolved uptake rate of Cd, Se and Zn in bivalves, Mytilus californianus, Potamocorbula amurensis, Macoma balthica and Corbicula fluminea.

Lee, B.G.¹, Lee, J.S., Luoma, S.N.³, Yang, S.Y.¹, Jung, S.K., ¹ Chonnam National University, Kwangju, S. Korea³ U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, USA

ABSTRACT- Clearance rates of four benthic bivalves Mytilus californianus, Potamocorbula amurensis, Macoma balthica and Corbicula fluminea were compared to uptake rates of waterborne Cd, Se and Zn to evaluate the functional relationship between the dissolved metal uptake rate and pumping activity of the clams. This relationship was established at a range of water temperatures and clam size classes. Uptake rates of 3 metals were positively related to filtration rates of the clams except for the M. balthica. Generally, weight-specific clearance and metal uptake rates of the clams increased with water temperature, but decreased with body size, probably due to covariance of the metabolic rates with temperature and body size. Interestingly, both the filtration and metal uptake rates of the fresh water clam C. fluminea were not proportional to the external temperature (5, 13 and 21oC). Both clearance and metal uptake rates of the C. fluminea were lowest at 5oC, highest at 13oC, and then decreased with the increase of temperature from 13 to 21oC. Inter-clam species specific relationship between clearance rates and metal uptake rates were positive for all three metals over a range of temperature and body size.

Key words: Metal uptake, Bivalves, Clearance rate, Bioavailability