Publication details
Minor and trace elements in the shells of bivalve Macoma balthica from Baltic Sea
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| Year of publication | 2014 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Determination of minor and trace elements in marine molluscs has been the subject of scientific interest for a long time. Studies on the chemical composition can contribute to biomonitoring of pollution, information acquisition of organism’s growth and physiology, as well as ambient water conditions such as temperature and salinity. Most studies have focused on the determination of trace elements in the soft tissues of molluscs because of their ability to accumulate metals more efficiently compared to shells. However, shells have some advantages over the soft tissues when monitoring metal contamination: shells reveal less variability than soft tissues; integrate elemental concentrations over the life of the animal; preserve the metals after death revealing prior concentrations; offer considerable advantages with respect to both sample preservation and storage. In the present work the shells of Macoma Balthica from different locations of Baltic Sea are investigated. Samples are collected from the coasts of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. For determination of minor and trace elements ICP-MS technique is employed. One part of the samples is dissolved in hydrochloric acid and analyzed as a solution to determine total metal content, whereas another part is analyzed using laser ablation ICP-MS technique. In the second case a cross-section of the shell is investigated to obtain results on fluctuations of metal concentrations among the incremental growth lines. |
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