title: Shell shape as a biomarker of marine pollution historic increase.
abstract: Buccinanops globulosus is a TBT sensitive marine gastropod, classified as a good indicator of imposex incidence and used as a model to study adverse contamination effects. Population and maritime industries has incremented pollution in Nuevo gulf harbor since 1970s, promoting morphological changes in B. globulosus shell shape. We study the shell shape of the species comparing present day's specimens from the harbor zone with those collected in the same zone before the increasing of maritime activity and pre-Hispanic archaeological Middens. We demonstrated that harbor pollution produces globular shell shape in B. globulosus, an effect that probably allows gastropods to isolate themselves from the external adverse environment. On the contrary, shells from pre-Hispanic periods, unpolluted sites and those collected before the expansion of maritime activities, presented an elongated shell shape. Our study confirms that shell shape variation in marine gastropods can be used as a biomarker of harbor pollution.
authors.affiliation: LARBIM, Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos (IBIOMAR-CCT CONICET-CENPAT), Blvd. Brown 2915 (U9120ACD), Puerto Madryn, Argentina; UNPSJB - Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Blvd. Brown 3100, Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Electronic address: fede@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Márquez
authors.affiliation: LARBIM, Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos (IBIOMAR-CCT CONICET-CENPAT), Blvd. Brown 2915 (U9120ACD), Puerto Madryn, Argentina.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Primost
authors.affiliation: LARBIM, Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos (IBIOMAR-CCT CONICET-CENPAT), Blvd. Brown 2915 (U9120ACD), Puerto Madryn, Argentina; UNPSJB - Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Blvd. Brown 3100, Puerto Madryn, Argentina.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bigatti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001118:Argentina; D015415:Biomarkers; D049628:Body Size; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000266:history / Q000379:methods*; D049851:Gastropoda / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects; D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds / Q000032:analysis* / Q000266:history / Q000633:toxicity; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000266:history / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Gastropod shell; Geometric morphometrics; Harbor pollution; Patagonia