title: Field contamination of the starfish Asterias rubens by metals. Part 1: Short- and long-term accumulation along a pollution gradient.
abstract: The accumulation of Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu in the starfish Asterias rubens was studied in a Norwegian fjord characterized by a gradient of metal pollution in the sediments, ranging from very high metal concentrations at its head to much lower levels at its opening. The concentrations of metals in starfish from natural populations along the gradient (long-term accumulation) and in starfish that were transferred up the gradient (short-term accumulation) were compared. At long-term, Cd and Pb accumulations by starfish living at normal salinity (30/1000) were related to the level of contamination of the environment while Cu and, to a lesser extent, Zn accumulations appeared strictly controlled. At short-term, Pb was accumulated steadily, Cd and Zn were accumulated transiently in the pyloric caeca (fast compartment), and Cu was not accumulated at all. Depuration experiments (transfer down the gradient) showed that Cd and Pb were efficiently eliminated from the pyloric caeca but not from the body wall (slow compartment). It is concluded that Pb is chronically accumulated, without apparent control, Cd is subjected to a regulating mechanism in the pyloric caeca which is overwhelmed over the long-term; Zn is tightly controlled in the pyloric caeca and Cu in both pyloric caeca and body wall. A distinct color variety of starfish is restricted to the low salinity (22-26/1000) superficial water layer. This variety showed a different pattern of metal accumulation over the long-term. This pattern is attributed to the particular hydrological conditions prevailing in this upper layer.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Marine (CP 160/15), Université Libre de Bruxelles, 50, Av. F.D. Roosevelt, B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium. gcoteur@ulb.ac.be
authors.forename: Geoffroy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Coteur
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pernet
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gillan
authors.forename: Guillemette
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Joly
authors.forename: Amund
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maage
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dubois
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D012623:Seawater; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000032:analysis; D013215:Starfish; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014872:Water Movements; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014873:Water Pollutants; D012965:Sodium Chloride