title: Metal concentrations in water, sediment and gudgeon (Gobio gobio) from a pollution gradient: relationship with fish condition factor.
abstract: This study assesses the applicability of a sentinel fish species as a biomonitor of metal pollution. Gudgeon (Gobio gobio) were collected from 14 sites in metal polluted lowland rivers in Flanders, including a clear Cd and Zn pollution gradient. Fish tissues were analysed for Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. Metal levels in organs were related to levels in water and sediment. At some sites Cd and Zn levels were up to 50 times higher compared to reference values and literature. Significant relationships between Cd and Zn in fish tissue and environmental levels were found, especially in the pollution gradient where up to 70% of the observed variation could be described. Condition factor differed significantly among the sampling sites but could not be directly related to the environmental metal levels. Nevertheless, in the pollution gradient, threshold tissue concentrations could be defined above which the condition factor was always low.
authors.affiliation: University of Antwerp (RUCA), Department of Biology, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium. bervoets@ruca.ua.ac.be
authors.forename: Lieven
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bervoets
authors.forename: Ronny
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blust
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001530:Belgium; D001835:Body Weight; D003530:Cyprinidae / Q000502:physiology*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005506:Food Contamination; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis*; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008670:Metals; D014873:Water Pollutants