title: Marine organisms as heavy metal bioindicators in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
abstract: In the present study, cadmium and lead concentrations were compared in barnacles, ghost shrimps, polychaetes, bivalves, and sediment from ten different locations along the intertidal zone of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The results revealed significant differences in the heavy metal concentrations between the organisms with barnacles showing, by far, the highest metal concentrations. The bioaccumulation factor of Cd in different animals follows this pattern with barnacles>bivalves>polychaetes>ghost shrimps, while the pattern for Pb was barnacles>polychaetes>bivalves>ghost shrimps. In most of the stations, sediments showed the lowest lead and cadmium concentrations. Therefore, it is concluded that barnacles with Pb concentrations between 0.17 and 2,016.1 μg/g and Cd concentrations ranging from 0.4 to 147.1 μg/g are the best organisms to be employed in monitoring programs designed to assess pollution with bioavailable metals in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
authors.affiliation: School of Biology and Center of Excellence in Phylogeny of Living Organisms, College of Science, University of Tehran, Enghelab Ave., Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Amoozadeh
authors.affiliation: School of Biology and Center of Excellence in Phylogeny of Living Organisms, College of Science, University of Tehran, Enghelab Ave., Tehran, Iran. mmalek@khayam.ut.ac.ir.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malek
authors.affiliation: School of Biology and Center of Excellence in Phylogeny of Living Organisms, College of Science, University of Tehran, Enghelab Ave., Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rashidinejad
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Biology, University of Marine Science and Technology, Khoramshahr, Iran.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nabavi
authors.affiliation: Marine Division, Department of Environment, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karbassi
authors.affiliation: Marine Division, Department of Environment, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ghayoumi
authors.affiliation: Marine Division, Department of Environment, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ghorbanzadeh-Zafarani
authors.affiliation: School of Biology and Center of Excellence in Phylogeny of Living Organisms, College of Science, University of Tehran, Enghelab Ave., Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Salehi
authors.affiliation: Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), University of Duisburg, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sures
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D019156:Indian Ocean; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000633:toxicity*; D009850:Oman; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical