title: Heavy metal contamination and ecological risk in Spartina alterniflora marsh in intertidal sediments of Bohai Bay, China.
abstract: To investigate the effects of Spartina alterniflora on heavy metals pollution of intertidal sediments, sediment cores of a S. alterniflora salt marsh and a mudflat in Bohai Bay, China were analyzed. The results showed that S. alterniflora caused higher total C and P, but lower bulk density and electrical conductivity. The levels of Cd, Cu and Pb were higher in S. alterniflora sediment. Both Cd and Zn were higher than the probable effect level at both sites, indicating their toxicological importance. The geo-accumulation and potential ecological risk indexes revealed higher metal contamination in S. alterniflora sediment. Multivariate analysis implied that anthropogenic activities altered mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals. The percentage of mobile heavy metals was higher in S. alterniflora sediment, indicating improvement of conversion from the immobilized fraction to the mobilized fraction. These findings indicate that S. alterniflora may facilitate accumulation of heavy metals and increase their bioavailability and mobility.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Heavy Metal Pollution Control and Reutilization, School of Environment and Energy, Shenzhen Graduate School of Peking University, Shenzhen 518055, PR China; College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China.
authors.forename: Minwei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China. Electronic address: fcshi@nankai.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Fuchen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Heavy Metal Pollution Control and Reutilization, School of Environment and Energy, Shenzhen Graduate School of Peking University, Shenzhen 518055, PR China. Electronic address: liruili@pkusz.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Ruili
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Heavy Metal Pollution Control and Reutilization, School of Environment and Energy, Shenzhen Graduate School of Peking University, Shenzhen 518055, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaoxue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D061006:Bays; D002681:China; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D006109:Poaceae; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Bohai Bay; Chemical speciation; Ecological risk; Heavy metal; Spartina alterniflora