title: Population dynamics of the rock shell Reishia clavigera associated with different degrees of organotin contamination in Hong Kong.
abstract: Application of organotins in antifouling systems on ship hulls has been globally prohibited by the International Maritime Organization since September 2008. It is, therefore, anticipated that there is a recovery of imposex-affected gastropod populations worldwide. We studied the population dynamics of the rock shell Reishia clavigera in six locations around Hong Kong's coastal waters, covering different degrees of organotin contamination for 25months (2011-2013). Abundance and density of R. clavigera were higher in clean sites, while they tended to grow faster in polluted sites. Over time, we observed recruitments in clean sites while recruitments in polluted sites were limited. The results suggested that the lack of apparent recovery of the local R. clavigera populations was probably due to the prevalence of organotin contamination, especially triphenyltin, in this region. This study, therefore, calls for mitigation and long-term monitoring of organotin contamination in marine environments of Hong Kong and South China.
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: kyho2@connect.hku.hk.
authors.forename: Kevin K Y
authors.initials: KKY
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Simon F. S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Kenneth M Y
authors.initials: KMY
authors.lastname: Leung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057219:Biofouling; D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D049851:Gastropoda / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*; D006723:Hong Kong; D009947:Organotin Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012767:Ships; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D009947:Organotin Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C030665:triphenyltin
keywords: Biomonitoring; ELEFAN; Gastropod; Recovery; Recruitment; Thais clavigera