title: Arsenic and mercury in native aquatic bryophytes: differences among species.
abstract: This study investigated the capacities of five species of aquatic bryophytes to accumulate As and Hg from their natural habitats in rivers in Galicia (NW Spain). The distributions of the concentrations of both elements in all species were skewed to the right, with a higher incidence of extreme values in the As data, which may indicate a greater degree of contamination by this metalloid. There were no significant differences in the accumulation of either of the elements between the different species studied, which justifies their combined use as biomonitors of As and Hg, at least in the study area.
authors.affiliation: Ecología, Departamento de Biología Celular y Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: Rubén
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Villares
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Alejo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carballeira
mesh_terms: D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D044002:Bryophyta / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013030:Spain; D013045:Species Specificity; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury; D001151:Arsenic