title: A biological and geochemical integrated approach to assess the environmental quality of a coastal lagoon (Ravenna, Italy).
abstract: The assessment of the environmental quality of coastal lagoons is rather difficult as their intrinsic high variability limits the power of analytical chemistry and ecotoxicological approaches. Aim of the present work was to integrate geochemical and biological data which were simultaneously collected from the Pialassa Baiona lagoon (Ravenna, Italy), and evaluate the usefulness of a biomonitoring strategy based on sentinel organisms and biomarkers. Geochemical analysis on suspended, surface, and subsurface sediments were performed at five different sites of the lagoon; moreover the heavy metal bioaccumulation and a battery of biomarkers was evaluated in Mytilus galloprovincialis transplanted in the same sites. Heavy metals appeared to be diffused throughout the lagoon reaching higher levels in the southernmost sites, and mainly concentrated in suspended sediments. Lysosome membrane stability, neutral lipid and lipofuscin accumulation, and metallothionein levels in mussels indicated the development of a stress syndrome in animals exposed to the polluted sites.
authors.affiliation: University of Bologna, Interdepartment Centre for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRSA), via S. Alberto 163, 48100 Ravenna, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Donnini
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dinelli
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sangiorgi
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fabbri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D007558:Italy; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D049878:Mytilus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012623:Seawater / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical