Cu. Higher levels of Pb appeared after four weeks of exposure. The relatively 
quick response time established in the case of Ni and Cu represents an obvious 
advantage to the use of Mytilus as a biological monitor. For these metals, 
Mytilus quickly reflects a situation which effects the long-lived indigenous 
species, Mercenaria . 
These results encourage further study. Our three specific goals listed in the 
Introduction have been answered in the affirmative: 
1. Introduced Mytilus from polluted areas reflect elevated levels of metals, 
as did sediments and Mercenaria reported in previous work. 
2. Mytilus displays a relatively short response time in accumulating 
elevated metal levels — three weeks in the case of Ni and Cu, and four 
weeks in the case of Pb. 
3 . Mytilus, the introduced biological monitor, took up three of the four 
metals previously demonstrated to have been accumulated and retained 
by the resident species, Mercenaria. 
The results reported here are based on data collected when the annual 
temperature cycle was declining toward winter levels. This fact may account 
for the leveling-off of Ni and Cu observed between weeks three and four at 
Station 2. 
Further studies along the transect in Narragansett Bay, and in other 
comparable areas, including a complete annual temperature cycle, are being 
carried out to supplement the knowledge gained in this study on the use of 
Mytilus edulis as an introduced biological indicator of man’s impact on the 
environment. 
REFERENCES 
1. Phelps, D.K., G. Telek, and R. L. Lapan, Jr. 1975. Assessment of Heavy 
Metal Distribution Within the Food Web in Marine Pollution and Waste 
Disposal. Pearson and Frangiapane, editors. Pergamon Press. 
2. Phelps, D.K. and A. Myers. 1978. Transect Studies in Narragansett Bay, R. I. 
Manuscript. 
3. Farrington, J.W. and J.G. Quinn. 1973. Petroleum Hydrocarbons in 
Narragansett Bay. I. Survey of Hydrocarbons in Sediments and Clams. Est. 
and Coastal Mar. Sci. 1:71:79. 
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