THE USE OF INTRODUCED SPECIES 



(MYTILUS EDULIS) 



AS A BIOLOGICAL INDICATOR OF TRACE 



METAL CONTAMINATION 



IN AN ESTUARY 



D K. Phelps and W B Galloway 



EPA. Environmental Research Laboratory 



Narragansett. R.I. 02882 



The use of introduced zs w'ell as indigenous marine sp^ecies as biological 

 monitors or indicators of water qualit>^ is being eviluated at the Environmental 

 Research Laboratory, Narragansett (ERLN). This paper presents data that 

 demonstrate the edible blue mussel.. \fynJuseduHs. to be an effective indicator 

 of metal pollution *1ien introduced along a gradient of anthropogenic stress. 

 ^L edulis vk-ere collected from a commercially-tlshed mussel bed in Narragansett 

 Bay. Rhode Island, and held in a laboratory sea*:ater system for six da>^. 

 Sub-groups vk-ere deployed in polluted and dean sections of that estiury. 

 respectively, for a period of four weeks. 



Aion-jc ab^ es revealed that St. eduiu irom me poiiuted sec;;on 



had significan.j. j..,.: t.els ci lead, nickel, and copper »1ien compared to 

 Sf. rduhs from the clean part of the estuar\ and those retained in the seauater 

 system at the laboratory as controls. No differences were apparent between the 

 three groups in the case of cadmium, chromium, vanadium, and zinc; however, 

 comparisons hetueen introduced **i edulis and indigenous Mfrcenaria 

 mcrcenaria. demonstrated M eduiis to be an effective surrogate biological 

 monitor for M lain the case of lead, nickel, and copper. 



INTRODUCTION 



: _> IS N-:_^_ . - R;v. Rhode Island, U.SJ^. (Figure 3-1). 



The Bay ; . described as "3- n stressed" by man's activities in its 



upper reaches, and as being di'- :ed upper Bay. a transitional 



zone, and a k)wt ater o: y (I). Bottom witer salinities 



nn^ 28-3 1^/00 in the upper reaches and 30-32*^ 00 in the tower Ba> . 

 Temperature seasonally escalates from -I^C to 26^C in various sections of 

 the estuary. 



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