ABSTRACT

In the last few decades, biomonitors especially live mussels (LM) have been commonly used to monitor heavy metals in aquatic systems worldwide. This study examined the feasibility of replacing the use of live biomonitors with artificial mussels (AM) in monitoring heavy metals. Laboratory experiments were conducted to compare metal accumulation in the freshwater mussel, Velesunio ambiguus (live mussels or LM) with that of AM exposed to varying concentrations of copper, lead and zinc over a 28-day period. Furthermore, field studies were carried out to compare metal accumulation in V. ambiguous at three sites with a range of different levels of metal contamination in regional Victorian waterways, Australia. Our results showed that LM showed preferential uptake of metal, whereas AM showed no preference in the accumulation of heavy metals. Artificial mussels are a reliable tool for assessing risks posed by heavy metals in waterways (fresh, brackish or marine) since the accumulation of heavy metals in AM is not affected by biotic and abiotic factors. We concluded that AM can be an effective and excellent replacement for live biomonitors such as native mussels in monitoring heavy metals in freshwater systems.

摘要

在过去的几十年中，生物监测器尤其是活贻贝 (LM) 已普遍用于监测全球水生系统中的重金属。本研究检验了用人工贻贝 (AM) 代替活体生物监测器监测重金属的可行性。进行了实验室实验，以比较淡水贻贝Velesunio ambiguus（活贻贝或 LM）中的金属积累与 AM 在 28 天内暴露于不同浓度的铜、铅和锌中的金属积累。此外，进行了实地研究以比较V. ambiguous中的金属积累在澳大利亚维多利亚地区水道中金属污染程度不同的三个地点。我们的结果表明，LM 表现出对金属的优先吸收，而 AM 在重金属的积累方面没有表现出偏好。人工贻贝是评估水道（淡水、咸水或海洋）中重金属风险的可靠工具，因为 AM 中重金属的积累不受生物和非生物因素的影响。我们得出的结论是，在监测淡水系统中的重金属时，AM 可以成为活体生物监测器（例如本地贻贝）的有效且出色的替代品。