CONCENTRATION OF SELECTED TRACE ELEMENTS IN THE BLACK ABALONE, HALIOTIS CRACHERODII LEACH, 1814, COLLECTED BETWEEN PILLAR POINT, CALIFORNIA AND PUNTA BANDA, MEXICO
A thesis submitted to the faculty of San Francisco State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
Master of Arts in Biology
by
DAVID PNDRE' VENTRESCA
San Francisco, California
December, 1983 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my appreciation to the members of my comittee: Dr. Martin, Dr. Cailliet, and
Dr. Tomlinson for their continued support, criticism, and confidence. A special thanks goes to my supervisor,
Dr. Robert Lea, who gave me encouragement and support in the final stages, and to Phillip Law, who helped me with the statistical analysis of the data.
To my friends and fellow students at Moss Landing
Marine Laboratories, who listened to my words and ideas and willingly gave of their time and energy, I express my gratitude and to you I dedicate this study.
And finally to my wife Diane, whose love and energy proved to be an invaluable force in the completion of this effort, I am and will always be deeply indebted. CONCENTRATION OF SELECTED TRACE ELEMENTS IN THE BLACK ABALONE, HALIOTIS CRACHERODII LEACH, 1814, COLLECTED BETWEEN PILLAR POINT, CALIFORNIA AND PUNTA BANDA, MEXICO
David Andre' VenTresca San Francisco State University 1983
Certain marine organisms have been shown to accumulate
various trace elements in their tissues to levels many times
greater than seawater. Black abalone, HaUotis cracherodii Leach,
1814, were collected at 18 sites between Pillar Point near
Half Moon Bay, California and Punta Banda in Sonora, Mexico.
Selected tissues from these animals were analyzed for concen-
trations of various trace elements. Significantly higher
concentrations of silver and copper were found in the diges-
tive gland and gonadal tissues of animals collected in the
vicinity of industrial areas of southern California than other
stations. Concentrations of copper, zinc, and nickel were
found to vary independent of the size of the abalone. The re-
sults of this study indicate that black abalone accumulate
extremely high levels of heavy metals and can possibly be used
as an indicator species of polluted areas.
I certify that the Abstract above is a correct representation of the_.c~ent of this thesis. I r/'-· I ...--- I l / 'e ~- ( /] Adviser Date ( // TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES o o • • o • • • • • • • • o • • • • • vi
LIST OF FIGURES o • • • • • • • • • • • o • o • o o vii
INTRODUCTION o o • o • • • • • • o o • • o • • • • • • 1
METHODS AND MATERIALS • • • • • • • • • • • • o • • • • 7
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION •••••••••••••••• 18
CONCLUSIONS • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 40
LITERATURE CITED • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • 41
v LIST OF TABLES
Table
1. Collection sites and sample data •••. 8&9
2. Comparison of the elemental composition reported for the National Bureau of 11 11 Standards (NBS) orchard leaves • • • 17
3. Number of samples, means, and standard deviations (one) of concentration of Cu, Cd, Ni, and Zn (ppm/g dry weight) in digestive gland tissue from all collection sites • • . • • • • • . • • 27
4. Number of samples, means, and standard deviations (one) of concentration of Cu, Cd, Ni, and Zn (ppm/g dry weight) in the whole horn from all collection sites ...... 28
5. Number of samples, means, and standard deviations (one) of concentration of Cu, Cd, Ni, and Zn (ppm/g dry weight) in the gonadal tissue from all collection sites •.•••.••••• 29
6. Number of samples, means, and standard deviations (one) of concentration of Cu, Cd, Ni, Zn, and Fe (ppm/g dry weight) in muscle tissue from all collection sites •••.••••• 30
7 .• Number of samples, means, and standard deviations (one) of concentration of Na, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, and Sr in the muscle tissue from all collection sites •.•• 31
vi LIST OF FIGURES
Figure
1. Location of collection sites • • 10
2. Haliotis cracherodii without shell, analyzed tissues indicated . . .. 13
3. Station means, standard deviations (one) , and ranges of copper in digestive gland(3a), whole horn(3b), gonads ( 3c) , and muscle (3d) • . . • . 32
4. Standard means, standard deviations (one) , and ranges of cadmium in digestive gland(4a), whole horn(4b), gonads (4c) , and muscle (4d) • . . . . • . . • 33
5. Station means, standard deviations (one) , and ranges of nickel in digestive gland(5a), whole horn(5b), gonads (5c) , and muscle (5d) . • • • • 34
6. Standard means, standard deviations (one) , and ranges of silver in digestive gland(6a), whole horn(6b), gonads(6c), and muscle(6d) •••.• 35
7. Standard means, standard deviations (one) , and ranges of zinc in digestive gland(7a), whole horn(7b), gonads (7c) , and muscle (7d) • • • • • 36
vii INTRODUCTION
Trace elements have always been carried to the oceans
by the natural processes of weathering, such as precipi
tation and subsequent stream runoff (Sverdrup et al., 1954).
However, man is presently transporting millions of gallons
of fresh water to heavy populated areas for municipal and
industrial use. It then eventually enters the ocean as a
continuous discharge of wastewater with little or no attempt
at reuse (Browning, 1969; Wallace et al., 1971). In 1973 when this study was initiated, the amount of municipal and wastewater discharged directly into the waters of the south
ern California Basin was estimated to be 955 million gallons
per day, more than twice that of the long-term average
input via the major rivers of this area (Southern Calif
ornia Coastal Water Research Project, 1973). This waste
water contains a variety of materials, among which are
trace elements such as zinc, cadmium, copper, lead, and
siver (Galloway, 1972).
This municipal wastewater is the principal source of
these pollutants that enter southern California coastal
waters. During 1980 and 1981, the flow from the five
largest ocean discharges averaged 1,094 million gallons
per day and contained 610 metric tons of suspended solids.
At the present time, the majority of measured metals by the
southern California Coastal Water Research Project are at
1 2
levels than those of 1973 when the samples for this research
were taken (SCCWRP, 1982).
In some cases levels of these discharged heavy metals
have been so high that serious damage has been done to the
marine environment. In 1974, approximately 1,500 abalone
(HaZiotis rufescens and HaZiotis cracherodii ) were estimated to
have been killed in the discharge area of the Diablo canyon
nuclear power plant following the testing of a cooling
system. The test was conducted after a period of shutdown,
during which noncirculating seawater was in contact with
copper-nickel tubing in the condensing system. It was
apparent that large amounts of copper dissociated from the
tubing, sin8e the first pulse of discharge water contained
1,800 ~g of Cu/liter. From experiments done by Martinet
al. (1977) and in view of the large amounts of copper released
during the testing of the power plant cooling system, there
can be little doubt that this element was responsible for
the observed mortality.
Through this indiscriminate release of untreated concen
trated waste materials and the drastic alteration'of previous
ly steady state ecosystems by dredging and damming, the
delicate geophysical balance of the oceans is rapidly being ~'¥ altered. Mining and agricultural activities as well as air
pollutants also contribute additional metals to the coastal
marine environment (Bryan, 1971). These perturbations
have Placed an abnormal load on the existing marine 3 environment. This abnormal load of materials into the oceans is often termed pollution, although in many cases some of the materials labeled pollutants are the same ones essential for the metabolism of many marine life forms. This is
~ especially true of the trace elements zinc, copper, manganese, I and magnesium (Williams, 1959; Underwood, 1971). Trace ele- ments such as silver, cadmium, nickel, and lead, although found concentrated in specific organisms, do not seem essen- tial for life processes (Clarke and Wheeler, 1922; Vinogradov,
1953; Goldberg, 1957; Bowen, 1966).
Concentrations of heavy metals are significantly higher in the marine biosphere than in the hydrosphere (Brooks and
Rumbsy, 1965). Further, organisms of lower levels of organi- zation seem to accumulate the trace metals to a greater extent than do vertebrates (Goldberg, 1957). Lowman et al.
(1971) states a possible reason is that in the marine ecosystem the plants and animals are in the path of trans- fer of elements as ions, colloids or particulates at the phase boundaries between the hydrosphere and biosphere.
Because of their specific metabolism, some marine organisms accumulate various trace elements to levels many times greater than those of seawater, and because these elements are re- tained by fairly strong chemical bonds by the organisms, they are not readily eluted (Noddack and Noddack, 1939; Black and
Mitchell, 1952). Many researchers have shown that the soft
tissues of molluscs, especially tissues involved in digestion 1 contain relatively high concentrations of certain trace 4 elements (Vinogradov, 1953; Boyden, 1966; Segar et al., 1971).
Folsom et al. (1972) suggests it is possible to learn about certain conditions prevailing in an environment by measuring trace element concentrations in the tissues of its inhabitants. Often this is a sensitive and economical method for monitoring environmental changes and for detect- ing anomalies. Nevertheless, valid conclusions can be drawn only when records are available for tissue concentrations under normal, averaged, or otherwise standardized c.onditions.
At present, too few organisms have been inspected, too few details have been reported as to which specialized tissues were sampled, and too little description has been given .con- 2 cerning size, age, food supply, and other factors that control the organism's metabolism (Bryan, 1973; Peden et al., 1973).
Topping (1973) indicates that for some shellfish the differences in particular metal concentrations may be attrib- uted to natural effects rather than man•s induced effects.
Anderlini (1973) considered that high cadmium concentrations found in the digestive gland of H. rufescens , the red abalone, along the coast of California may be natural in view of other literature and are perhaps due to the presence of a cadmium- containing regulatory metalloprotein in this organ. Despite these conclusions, Eisler ( 1971) noted that one fact remains: many seafoods that are normally ingested by man, such as the adductor muscle of scallops, lobster meats, and whole oysters exhibit measurable uptake of cadmium after immersion of the 5 animals in water containing cadmium concentrations not pre viously considered hazardous to aquatic life or public health.
Many molluscs are part of a marine food chain which involves phytoplankton and macro-algae. Recent studies have shown that many species of marine algae are able to accumu late heavy metal concentrations far in excess of the sur rounding seawater (Bryan and Hummerstone, 1977). Because of stratification, salinities, and metal concentrations in coastal waters may vary with depth and tidal flow. The intertidal zone from which algae samples are collected is important because it determines the period of exposure to trace elements in the water.
For this study a specific monitoring organism was needed that is commonly found in both the highly populated and industrialized areas of southern California as well as
the relatively uninhabited areas of the central coast of
California and Baja Mexico. H. cracherodii, the black abalone,
seems to fulfill the major criterion set down by Butler et al.
(1972): 1) it is able to accumulate pollutants without being killed by them; 2) it has a long residence in the study area;
and 3) it is of convenient size, easily collected, and suffi
ciently long-lived so that one or more year-classes will
persist throughout the contemplated monitoring program.
H. cracher>odii is a common littoral inhabitant ranging from
Coos Bay, Oregon to cape San Lucas, but is most abundant from
central California southward and is easily collected at low 6 tide (Ricketts and Calvin, 1968). The fact that the range of individuals in this zone is great and that they are so hardy makes this species an ideal experimental animal
(Leighton and Boolootian, 1963). Although primarily a grazer,
Ricketts and Calvin (1968) noted that this species of abalone seems to derive some of its nourishment from planktonq for it is often found in crevices of barren rocks where there is no visible food in the form of fi~ed MegetatioQ.
The purpose of this study was to survey levels of trace elements in black abalone along a section of the central
Pacific coastline and to determine if individuals collected proximal to industrial areas concentrate high levels of cer tain heavy metals and may thus serve as an indicator species to detect anomalies among locations. It is hypothesized that there is a correlation between high levels of certain heavy metals in tissues of black abalone and the intensity of industrialization in the areas where these organisms are collected. METHODS AND MATERIALS
Collections of H. cracherodii were made at 18 locations
along a section of the Pacific coastline between Pillar
Point near Half Moon Bay, California and Punta Banda in
Sonora, Mexico (Table 1 and Fig. 1). With the exception of
the samples from Santa Catalina Island, Christmas Tree Cove,
and Abalone Cove, which were collected by personnel from the
California Department of Fish and Game, and the La Jolla Cove
samples which were collected by John Oliver, all collections
were made by myself.
One of the basic considerations for the statistical
comparisons of populations of living organisms for metal
analysis is that the individuals of the population be of
the same age, that is, they have been exposed to the envi
ronment for a similar period of time. However, numerous
studies conducted to age abalone by growth rings and other
methods have been unsuccessful (Curtner, 1917; Forester,
1967; Bolognari, 1953; Sakai, 1960). Cox (1962) and Leighton
and Boolootian (1963) concluded after studing growth rates
of red and black abalone, that growth and size are direct-
?<~ ly proportional to food availablity. Since no reliable
method was available to determine the age of individuals
from different locations an effort was made to collect black
abalone of approximately the same shell length from each
7 Table 1. Collection sites and sample data
NUMBER MEAN SHELL STANDARD LOCATION ABBREVIATION LATITUDE DATE COLLECTED TAKEN SEX % LENGTH (mm) DEVIATION (mm)
Pillar Point PIL 37° 30.0' 6 December 1973 5 M 22 67 22 21 January 1974 9 F 57 UNK 21
Pigeon Point PIG 37° 11.4' 21 January 1974 14 M 36 81 24 F 50 UNK 14
Liddell Creek Beach LCB 37° oo.o• 22 January 1974 11 M 27 88 17 F 55 UNK 18
Pacific Grove PG 36° 38.2' 29 February 1973 19 M 53 85 19 F 47
Point Soberanes PS 36° 26.9' 20 January 1974 16 M 23 66 16 F 59 UNK 18
Julia Pfeiffer Burns JPB 36° 10.0' 7 July 1974 5 M 20 108 18 F 80
Cape San Martin CSM 35° 53.5' 20 February 1974 8 M 46 90 13 F 54
Cayucos CY 35° 27.0' 18 February 1974 10 M 50 92 19 F 50
Avila AV 35° 10.5' 17 February 1974 13 M 40 88 15 F 33 UNK 27
co Table 1. Collection sites and sample data (con' t.)
NUMBER MEAN SHELL STANDARD LOCATION ABBREVIATION LATITUDE DATE COLLECTED TAKEN SEX % LENGTH(mm) DEVIATION(mm)
Vandenburg A.F.B. VDB 34° 43.5' 19 February 1974 13 M 40 93 16 F 47 UNK 6
Santa Cruz Island scz 34° 04.0' 16 April 1974 9 M 20 108 16 F 80
Deer Creek Beach DCB 34° 03.7' 31 March 1974 11 M 10 92 15 F 90
Christmas Tree Cove XTC 33° 46.0 8 21 March 1974 5 M 0 100 7 . F 0 UNK 100
Abalone Cove AC 33° 45.0' 22 March 1974 6 M 33 119 6 F 67
Santa Catalina Island SCT 33° 27.5' 25 March 1974 11 M 64 125 16 F 36
Dana Point DP 33° 27.5' 16 February 1974 14 M 15 93 26 F 62 UNK 23
La Jolla Cove LJC 32° 51. 1' l January 1974 12 M 0 124 14 F 100
Punta Banda (Mexico) PBM 31°69.0' 1 February 1974 17 M 18 88 17 F 47 UNK 35 10
Pigeon Pt. -Lidddell Ck. Beach
Pacific Grove Pt. Soberanes Pfeiffer Burrus
San Martin
Ck. Beach
Santa Cruz Is. ~ Christmas Tree / Abalone
S a n t a C a t a I i n a I s . •~
La JollaCove 1 N Pta. Banda 100 k m (Mexico )
Figure 1. Location of collection sites. 11
sampling site, assuming that each animal had consumed
similar amounts of food to reach that size and therefore
would have been exposed to the environment for approxi
mately the same period of time.
Anderlini (1973) showed that there was no significant
difference in the metal concentration with size and pre
sumably age, for Ag, Cd, cu, Hg, Ni, and Zn within the
tissues of 11 animals collected at Mendocino, and there
fore assumed that non-essential elements are not accumu
lated with age for the red abalone. Boyden (1974) conclud
ed in molluscs, as in biota in general, absolute tissue
element concentrations are related or determined by environ
mental concentrations; although within each species,
different elements display different .relationships to
body weight.
All individuals were taken during low tide in zone 3,
which is the middle interidal: from about mean higher low
water to mean low water. Typically covered and uncovered
twice each day, this belt extends from plus two and a half
feet to zero on the California coast (Ricketts and Calvin,
1968). To prevent metal contamination of the abalone•s
~.';J tissues, a homemade plastic flat bar was used to pry the
abalone from the substrate to which they were attached. In
addition, after removal from the intertidal zone, each indi
vidual was washed free of foreign materials with distilled 12 water, sealed in separate plastic bags and placed in an ice chest with dry ice until transported to a freezer where they were kept until processed. All abalone samples were pro cessed within six months after their collection.
The procedure utilized for processing the abalone and preparing the tissue samples for Atomic Absorbtion Analysis was similar to that described by Anderlini (1973) (Fig. 2).
Whole animals were thawed at room temperature, blotted dry with Kimwipe tissues and weighed. They were then removed from their shells and the condition of their gonads and gametes were noted. Weight, length, width, depth, and number of holes opened and closed were recorded for each shell.
The shells were then labeled and stored for future reference.
Both gills were removed from the animal with plastic dissect ing tools, washed with distilled water to remove residual sea salts, blotted dry with Kimwipe tissues and transferred to acid-cleaned, tared, 30-ml pyrex beakers.
The whole horn, which is the structure containing the digestive and reproductive tissues, was then removed and, when possible, discrete aliquots of the digestive gland
and gonads were removed for analysis. The designation between pure digestive gland and whole horn tissue samples was made because the size of the digestive gland of some of the abalone was too small to permit a discrete sample to be taken that would exclude gonadal as well as connective tissue. These
Whole horn samples contained other tissues which acted to 13
GILLS
FOOT MUSCLE
DIGESTIVE GLAND
Figure 2. Haliotis cracherodii without shell, analyzed tissues indicated. 14 dilute and lower the concentration of the trace elements found in the digestive gland. In such cases, the whole organ was analyzed, whereas, with larger abalone a discrete sample of the inside of the digestive gland was able to be taken.
Trace elements in the digestive gland and whole horn tissue samples of animals from the same stations were compared us ing the nonparametric Wilcoxon two-sample test and found to be significantly different at the 90% confidence level.
For this reason, these tissue samples were reported sepa rately. Although gills were removed and processed, the sample weights were too low for valid interpretation of analysed values for this tissue. The muscle tissue aliquot was taken from the center of the foot so that no surface of the sample had been exposed to the outer surface, thus, hopefully eliminating possible contamination from residual sea salts.
These four tissues: digestive gland, whole horn, gonad~,
and muscle were analyzed for copper, cadmium, nickel, silver,
and zinc. These are designated "heavy metals" and are
among the ones often found in the wastewater discharge from
industrial and urban areas and that have been shown to be
accumulated by molluscs. Muscle tissue was futher analyzed
for iron, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, manganese,
and strontium, designated "non-toxic elements", to determine
if there were relationships between these elements in the
muscle and the "heavy metals 11 in the othe;r;- tissue. The 15
1 ·'non~toxic; elements" were not analyzed in tissu~s other than muscle due to possible contamination by sea salts.
After the wet weight of these samples in the beakers were recorded they were placed in a Thelco oven for a minimum of 24 hours at 68°c and then cooled and reweighed.
The method of digesting these samples was similar to that described by Martin and Knauer (1973). Five milliliters of 70% redistilled nitric acid (HN0 ) was added to the 3 samples. The beakers were then covered with watchglasses while they refluxed on a hotplate at a low temperature
(90°C) until the sample was in solution. The watchglasses were then removed and the liquid was slowly evaporated to dryness at a reduced (<70 0 C) temperature. The dried resi- dues were charred until they ceased smoking by gradually increasing the temperature to 450°C and then heated an additional half hour. The residues were refluxed in five ml of 70% redistilled nitric acid and their oxidation was completed with the dropwise addition of 30% hydrogen peroxide (H o ). This :method, although time consuming, was 2 2 found to be necessary for the accurate determination of
silver which appears to be strongly bound to the lipid
fraction (Anderlini, 1973).
Immediately before the elemental analysis, the samples were brought to volume (25 ml) with deionized-distilled
water and weighed. The elemental analysis of all samples
were determined with a Perkin-Elmer Model 305-B atomic 16 absorption spectrophotometer and a Perkin-Elmer strip re corder. An excellent description of this machine and its capabilities is presented by Kahn (1968). The manufacturer 8 s recommended operating conditions, analytical wavelengths, and fuel mixtures were used. Background interferences for
Cd, Ni, and Zn were corrected by subtracting the absorbance
0 of the Pb-2196 A , a non-absorbing wavelength 6 from the absorbance of each element. The greatest absorbance of three reagent and procedural blanks was also subtracted from the absorbance of each element. The sensitivity and precision of the aforementioned method was assessed with concurrent
analysis of National Bureau of Standards "orchard leaves"
standards (Table 2). Because of the robustness of the test,
analysis of covariance was used to determine correlation
between digestive gland concentrations of copper, cadmium,
nickel, silver, and zinc and the size of the abalone (i.e.
shell lengt~) • For metals that were shown to vary indepen
dent of the size of the abalone, concentrations adjusted
for size were used for statistical comparison between
stations. Concentrations of metals are expressed in part
per million for each gram of dry weight of tissue. 17
Table 2. Comparison of the elemental concentrations reported for the National Bureau of Standards 11 11 (NBS) orchard leaves ( Jlg/g) (Anon.,1972).
NBS RESULTS OF CERTIFIED ELEMENT THIS STUDY VJU..UES
cu 11.4 12.0 +- 1.0
CD 0.18 0.11 +- 0.02
+ NI 0.9 1.3- 0.2
AG Not Detectable Not Reported
ZN 26.5 25.0 +- 3.0
FE 326 300 +- 20.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The distribution of the "heavy element" concentrations found in the tissues of H. cracherodii collected at each station are presented by element. Comparisons between stations and other studies, as well as sources and biological significance of the elements are discussed. Correlations between elements and the differential concentration rates of the tissues are examined.
Distribution of "heavy metals"
COPPER
The highest copper levels were found in the digestive gland, gonadal, and muscle tissues (no gonadal tissue sample from Christmas Tree cove) of abalone from Abalone and Christmas Tree Coves (Tables 3, 5, and 6 and Fig. 3).
Analysis of covariance showed that concentrations of copper in the digestive gland tissues from these two stations were significantly different at the 99% confidence level from all other stations. A strong positive relationship seemed to exist between the high concentration of copper in the digestive gland and muscle from these two stations. Although
copper levels were high in the gonadal tissues of abalone
collected at La Jolla Cove and Deer Creek Beach, the levels in the muscle were only slightly elevated and the levels in
18 19 the digestive gland were exceptionally low. Copper concen trations in the digestive gland tissues were found to vary independent of the size of the abalone (P=.33). The mean value of digestive gland samples from Abalone and Christmas
Tree Coves was 77.1 ppm Cu/g dry weight, which is similar to the 78.1 ppm Cu/g dry weight which Anderlini (1973) found in the digestive gland tissues of three H. rufescens taken in this same area.
Although copper has been shown to be a necessary and important constituent of biological systems (Bowen, 1966;
Underwood, 1971; Williams, 1959) its toxic effects have also been well documented. One of the most recent examples is the mortality of 1,500 abalone at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant (Martinet al., 1977). Pringle et al.
(1969) demonstrated that copper was especially toxic to the soft shell clam, 1\1ya arenaria. Concentrations of 0.02 mg/1 were toxic over a continuous exposure of several weeks.
Luoma a:ad Cloem (1982) identified a sewage treatment p,lant near Palo Alto as a major source of copper into south San
Francisco Bay. In southern California, Hodge et al. (1978) found significant inputs of copper and zinc to the Southern
California Bight from atmospheric fallout. CADMIUM
The levels of cadmium in all analyzed tissues were
Within the range of reported values from other studies.
The highest levels were found in the digestive gland and 20 decreased in the whole horn and gonads with the least amount found in the muscle (Tables 3, 4, 5, and 6 and Fig. 4). The cadmium levels in the digestive gland ranged from 78 to 508 times greater than those in the foot muscle. There did not seem to be a positive relationship between the high values in the digestive gland and corresponding high values in the gonads as in copper and silver. Although there were no ex ceptionally high cadmium values at individual stations, a general trend of higher values north of Pt. Conception was noted" (Fig. 4). Unlike copper, cadmium concentrations in the digestive gland were found to vary in relation to the size of the abalone. For this reason differences between stations were hard to assess.
Nickless et al. (1972) reported levels of 265 to 500
~g/g dry tissue of the entire soft parts of the herbivorous limpet, Patella spp .. , from the Bristol Channel, United King dom. Anderlini (1973) found his highest mean cadmium of
1162.7 ppm/g dry weight in the digestive gland of H. rufescens at Santa Cruz, California. He also reported a mean value of 378.5 ppm Cd/g dry weight from the digestive glands of three H. cracherodii collected along the California coast.
Cadmium is not considered an essential element but
rather ranks with mercury and silver in its toxicity to liv
ing systems. Because of its chemical similarity to zinc,
it can interfere with the enzymatic activities of zinc and
Will replace zinc and other essential metals, except copper, 21
from sulfur containing organic radicals (Fulkerson and
Goeller, 1972; Schroeder and Balassa, 1961). Symptoms of
cadmium poisoning man are decalcification of the skeleton,
giving rise to bone fractures, and kidney malfunction accom-
panied by extensive excretion of proteins, amino acids, and
calcium (Darracott and Watling, 1975).
Cadmium is essential in some metallurgical and elec-
trolytic processes, such as, electroplating, the manufacture
of cadmium cells in batteries, and as a catalyst (Darracott
and Watling, 1975). Significant cadmium volatilization
occurs in the smelting of raw base metal ores, the reclam-
ation of iron and steel, and the incineration of plastic
wastes (Wakely, 1973). The cadmium is released into the
atmosphere where it condenses and can be introduced into
rivers or the ocean by normal precipitation.
NICKEL
The animals from three stations contained high concen-
trations of nickel in their tissues (Tables 3, 4, 5, and 6
and Fig. 5). Abalone from Cape San Martin and Christmas
Tree Cove were consistently high in the concentration of
nickel in their digestive gland, muscle, and gonads (no
gonadal sample from Christmas Tree Cove). As noted pre- w . v~ously, Christmas Tree Cove is located near the Los Angeles
County outfall; however, Cape San Martin is located along
the Big Sur coastline and noticeably separated by a consider
able distance from the influence of urban or industrial waste. 22
The whole horn samples from Pillar Point were also excep
tionally high (Table 4), although neither the digestive
gland, muscle, nor gonads showed any elevated levels. Anal
ysis of covariance showed that concentrations of nickel
(P=.03) in the digestive gland tissues varied independent of
the size of the abalone at the 99% confidence level.
Of the estimated 4,895 metric tons/year of nickel
entering the environment of the United States, over 90~6
arises from combustion of fuel oil and enters the atmosphere
as oxides. In addition, a significant amount of nickel
wastes (15,00 kg Ni/year) arises from the electroplating
industry (Anon., 1975). Nickel ions have been shown to be
taken up and accumulated by Mytilus edulis. Analysis of soft
tissues after a 96 hour exposure to 20, 40, and 80 mg Ni/1
showed nickel levels of approximately 420, 450, and 820
mg Ni/kg dry weight, respectively (Friedrich and Filice,
1976) • Bryan et al. ( 1977) found concentrations of 13. 6
to 15.9 mg/kg dry weight in the whole soft parts in the
gastropod mollusc Haliotis tuberculata from the United Kingdom.
Anderlini's (1973) values of nickel from the digestive gland
of H. rufescens collected along the California coast ranged
from 2.5 to 10.6 ppm/g dry weight.
~, SILVER
Silver concentrations in the digestive gland and gonads
of animals collected at Abalone Cove were ten times and
fortY-eight times greater, respectively, than the combined 23
mean of all other stations (Tables 3 and 5 and Fig. 6).
These same tissues from the La Jolla sample were both four
times greater than the combined mean concentrations of all
other stations except Abalone Cove. A point of interest
is that even with these high values for silver in the
digestive gland and gonads the level of silver in the muscle
of these same animals from these two stations is exception
ally low; in fact, lower than the means of all the other
stations for these tissues. Although the Pillar Point
tissue samples contained moderately high values of silver,
the levels in the muscle, digestive gland and whole horn
tissues were comparable to the other stations (Tables 3, 4,
and 6). Two other moderately high values were the silver
concentrations found in the whole horn samples from
animals collected at Santa Cruz Island and Deer Creek Beach.
Analysis of covariance showed that concentrations of silver
in the digestive gland tissues varied in relation to the
size of the abalone. Therefore similiar to cadmium extreme
caution must be exercised when evaluating differences
between stations.
Bryan et al. (1977) reported values of 2.9 Ag mg/kg
~, dry weight in the whole soft parts from Haliotis tuberculata.
Anderlini 1 s (1973) silver values ranged from 13.9 to 60.3
Ppm/g dry weight in the digestive gland of H. rufescens.
Stephenson et al. (1979) found, during their 1977 California
state mussel watch, that of the eight stations surveyed 24 from the San Diego-La Jolla Ecological Reserve to the Farallon
Islands, mussels from La Jolla contained the highest concen tration of silver (9.1 ~g/g dry weight).
Silver is one of the most toxic heavy metals in the aquatic environment (Bryan, 1971) and is used in jewelry, silverware, photographic and food processing industries, as well as ink and antiseptic manufacture. From such industrial sources, trace amounts of silver can be expected to reach coastal waters (McKee and Wolf, 1971). In 1979, 42.2 metric tons/year of silver were discharged into the waters of the
Southern California Bight (SCCWRP, 1982). Schultz and
Turekian (1965) noted that the silver content of the water around Long Island Sound, which is fed by rivers flowing through heavily industrial areas, is ten times higher than the surrounding western Atlantic waters. The unique affinity of silver for organic matter (Krauskopf, 1956) and its ex tremely high degree of biological magnification, of over one million fold in the tissues of some marine molluscs (Martin and Flegal, 1975), compound this metal's potential of reach ing deleterious levels in the marine biosphere (Flegal, 1976). ZINC
Mean concentrations (ppm/g dry weight) of zinc in the digestive gland tissues were highest at Liddell Creek Beach
(598 ppm), Christmas Tree Cove (587 ppm), and Pacific Grove
(547 ppm) (Table 3 and Fig. 7). Levels of zinc in the muscle ranged from 27.3 to 43.0 ppm/g dry weight and 25 exhibited the least amount of variation between station means as compared to all other metals in the other tissues
(Table 6). Differences between station means in the diges tive gland, whole horn, and gonads were also less than any of the other metals in these respective tissues. Levels in the digestive gland ranged from 155 to 598 ppm and were approximately 6 to 14 times higher than those of the muscle. Levels of zinc were found to be lowest in the gonads. Analysis of covariance showed that concentrations of zinc (P=.07) in the digestive gland tissues varied independently of the size of the animal at the 99% con fidence level.
Zinc has been shown to be accumulated by molluscs to levels much higher than that of the surrounding environ ment. Ayling (1974), found that 100 ppm zinc in the mud of the Tamar River, Tasmania could produce oysters contain- ing at least 4,000 ppm, ie. 800-1,000 ppm wet weight.
Anderlini (1973) found values ranging from 535.8 to 979.6 ppm in the digestive gland of H. rufescens collected along the California coastline.
Although zinc has been shown to be an important trace metal in biological systems (Williams, 1959~ Underwood, 1971~
Bowen, 1966), levels as low as 0.311 ppm have resulted in
an Lc50 for developing oyster larvae (Calabrese et al., 1971). Skidmore (1964) found that toxic concentrations of zinc
compounds caused adverse changes to the morphology and 26
physiology of fish. He also showed that acutely toxic
concentrations induce cellular breakdown of the gills and
possibly the clogging of the gills with mucus.
High levels of zinc have been closely associated with
sewage sludge. Zinc concentrations in Hudson River sedi-
ments are three to six times background levels for fine
grained sediments, ·and are comparable to observed metal
concentrations of sediments in the New York Bight sewage
sludge and dredge spoil dumping area (Simpson, 1979). Carey
et al. (1966) showed the presence of zinc-65 in marine
organisms of the coast of Oregon which had originated from
the cooling water of the Hanford reactors. Additional
sources of zinc are the sediment of streams contaminated
by old mines (Eliderfield et al., 1971) and zinc refining.
Concentrations of 10,000 mg Zn/kg were found by Bloom and
Ayling (1977) in the dried sediments from Derwent Estuary,
England, which apparently had originated from the discharge
of a zinc refining plant.
Qorrelations between metals and tissues
The highest concentrations of copper, zinc, and cadmium
~" Were found in pure digestive gland tissues; while nickel and
Silver were most highly concentrated in gonadal tissues.
Copper and zinc have been well documented as necessary and
important elements in many marine molluscs. Copper has an
important biochemical role as an enzyme activator (Brooks TABLE 3. Number of samples, means, and standard deviations (one) of concentration of Cu, Cd, Ni, Ag, and Zn (ppm/gram dry weight) in the digestive· gland tissues from all collection sites.
PIL PIG LCB PG PS JPB CSM CY AV VDB scz DCB XTC AC SCT DP LJC PBM Cu n 4 7 5 19 16 4 7 4 5 9 5 5 5 6 11 8 12 16 - X 4.83 1.12 5.42 3.95 6.54 2.53 2.55 6.98 4.07 2.18 10.9 8.50 104 50.9 8.85 6.62 16.7 6.97 sd 2.97 2.97 1.92 2.14 3.47 1.88 1.27 3.81 1.22 1.67 6.08 4.42 46.8 19.7 8.58 1.98 10.7 2.96
Cd n 4 8 5 19 17 5 7 4 5 10 5 6 5 6 11 8 12 16 x 117 259 246 336 162 508 243 439 235 252 393 178 77.9 130 193 100 139 206 sd 57.2 56.3 72.1 187 85.2 170 106 79.1 23.3 95.6 92.1 74.7 24.7 156 74.6 18.1 30.7 99.2
Ni n 4 7 5 19 17 5 7 4 5 9 5 6 5 6 11 7 12 17 x 5.02 .55 7.43 4.55 1.69 1. 78 17.4 7.90 9.56 .95 2.95 3.64 21.9 6.78 9.14 3.53 3.16 .38 sd 6.01 1.44 1.87 2.40 3.40 3.30 8.33 6.50 6.46 2.18 1.56 3.62 4.39 4.43 5.36 1. 76 3.10 1.42
A& n 4 8 5 19 17 5 7 4 5 10 5 6 5 4 10 8 11 17 x 2.28 5.57 2.91 5.37 2.95 4.17 5.04 4.98 1.67 4.08 5.14 8.96 8.24 54.7 5.78 4.07 18.3 1.28 sd 1.23 4.04 1.86 2.36 1.60 6.34 4.34 3. 72 1.20 3.08 3.28 8.89 5.26 31.4 2.56 3.21 17.7 .68
Zn n 4 8 5 19 16 5 7 4 5 9 4 6 5 6 9 8 12 17 x 212 254 598 547 186 251 155 398 290 374 357 293 587 406 170 207 448 369 sd 39.8 73.5 303 223 72.5 81.9 23.3 168 86.6 134 240 137 400 150 86.9 76.3 111 161 TABLE 4 • Number of samples, means, and standard deviations (one) of concentration of Cu, Cd, Ni, Ag, and Zn (ppm/gram dry weight) in the whole horn from all collection sites.
PIL PIG LCB PG PS JPB CSM CY AV VDB scz DCB XTC AC SCT DP LJC PBM
Cu n 10 6 5 6 10 5 5 5 6 x 19.4 4.21 6.61 4.89 7.87 7.84 11.7 9.44 7.09 sd 14.3 6.95 1.97 2.35 3.51 4.82 7.32 6.40 3.05
Cd n 10 6 5 6 9 5 5 5 6 x 87.6 131 122 134 160 76.8 301 121 34.7 sd 29.8 36.8 45.4 28.2 67.8 55.5 59.2 76.0 20.0
Ni n 10 6 5 6 10 5 5 5 6 ii 19.0 4.93 4.85 8.34 10.8 3.50 4.74 5.16 7.73 sd 9.61 5. 70 4. 86 3.23 6.71 4.49 .98 3.39 5.01
Ag_ n 9 6 5 5 10 5 5 5 6 x 4.75 1.68 2.41 1.29 5.08 1.95 9.37 9.40 1.92 sd 1.16 1.37 .63 .56 3.16 .99 4.91 4.76 .93
Zn -n 10 6 5 6 lO 5 5 5 6 X 340 287 358 169 460 164 266 410 160 sd 181 141 178 46.7 237 102 75.4 221 19.1
(-) indicates no sample value TABLE 5. Number of samples, means, and standard deviations (one) of concentration of Cu, Cd, Ni, Ag, and Zn (ppm/gram dry weight) in the gonadal tissue from all collection sites.
PTL PIG LCB PG PS JPB CSM CY AV VDB scz OCB XTC AC SCT OP LJ PBM
Cu n 3 8 1 6 8 4 6 4 10 2 6 8 8 10 1 j[ 2.95 NO 2,85 3,70 2,39 3.04 2.73 4.02 2,10 9. 71 56.3 3.40 4.35 12.0 3.37 sd 5.12 2.41 2,23 .42 1.57 1. 73 1.05 8.75 23.4 .99 2.59 7.35
Cd n 3 8 1 6 8 4 6 4 10 2 6 8 7 10 1 x 23.0 26.5 5.30 4.40 47.2 9.16 8.47 74.7 3.28 16.2 43.4 8.51 5.97 9.86 8.41 sd 20.7 30.1 2.86 28.4 8.53 6.96 60.8 2.24 21.1 35.6 12.9 9.94 8.07
Ni n 3 8 1 6 8 4 6 4 10 2 6 8 8 10 1 x NO 3.45 8.09 2.89 • 79 1.16 29.8 6.00 1.50 2.13 7.04 7.27 3.68 8.08 3.24 sd 5.33 1. 76 2.23 1.55 27.52 3.76 2.06 1. 24 5,23 5.65 2.55 6.63
A& n 6 7 6 4 10 2 6 8 8 10 1 - 3 8 1 4 X 9.02 1. 79 2.14 1. 75 2.69 .34 1.22 2.33 1.06 4.20 126 ,66 1.12 7.83 .21 sd 10.00 2.08 1.38 2,46 .27 2.40 1.25 .65 4. 77 64.5 .70 .89 8.02
Zn n 3 8 1 6 8 4 6 4 10 2 6 8 8 10 1 x 183 79.1 84.4 47.1 92.0 86.7 54.7 120 45.5 103 177 63.5 57.9 90.9 85.19 sd 163 59,2 16.1 63.1 74.3 24.0 72.3 16.7 79.3 66.7 52.7 29.9 37.7
(-) indicates no sample value (NO) not detectable
N \.0 TABLE 6. Number of samples, means, and standard deviations (one) of concentration of Cu, Cd, Ni, Ag, Zn, and Fe (ppm/gram dry weight) in the muscle tissue from all collection sites.
PIL PIG LCB PG PS JPB CSM CY AV VDB scz DCB XTC AC SCT DP LJC PBM
Cu n 13 14 11 20 14 5 8 10 15 13 10 11 5 6 9 11 12 14 x 1.80 ND 2.09 2.34 .74 4.22 1. 74 3.64 2.54 .91 2.93 3. 75 12.9 10.2 2.75 3.49 4.52 .94 sd 1.89 1.50 1.82 1.16 2.00 1.21 1.48 1.52 .74 1.68 1.31 5.68 2.01 2.06 .86 2.26 .92
Cd n 13 14 11 20 16 5 8 lO 14 12 10 11 4 5 9 11 12 16 x ND ND .77 ND ND .08 ND .35 .21 .17 .20 ND ND .07 .19 ND .84 .56 sd .20 .12 .51 .39 .32 .29 .16 .14 .31 .62
Ni n 12 14 10 20 14 4 8 9 13 12 9 11 5 6 9 11 12 2 x .24 ND 1.24 1.13 ND ND 10.5 LOS .62 ND .48 1.19 4.77 .57 1.69 .24 1.22 .22 sd .82 1.54 1.32 10.3 .93 .93 .so 1.07 1.85 .83 1.34 .54 1. 26 .32
Ag n 13 14 10 20 15 5 8 10 15 12 10 11 5 6 9 11 12 16 x .15 ND .24 .88 ND .10 .23 .46 ,08 .34 .14 .55 1.20 ND .19 .46 .03 .31 sd .30 .23 .62 .15 .18 .41 .20 .26 .16 .23 • 79 .14 .24 .07 .24
Zn n 14 14 11 20 16 5 8 10 13 13 9 11 5 6 11 12 17 x 28.6 27.3 37.0 35.5 32.6 31.6 29.0 39.3 31.4 38.1 40.4 36.6 43.0 36.1 29.6 33.8 42.4 sd 8.97 3. 71 8.09 5.28 6.92 3.55 5.36 5.48 8.64 6.63 5.90 7.12 5.76 3.97 5.20 4.88 10.6
Fe n 13 12 11 20 14 5 7 10 13 12 10 11 4 6 9 11 10 16 x 39.0 ND 38.2 5.69 1.47 14.7 102 49.6 28.9 8. 14 18.9 34.7 137 137 26.9 13.9 48.1 60.2 sd 23.9 18.2 7.01 4.14 6.97 75.2 17,9 14.0 10.9 s.os 30.8 55.8 46.2 24.3 3.48 38.7 64.6
(-) indicates no sample value w (ND) not detectable 0 TA!lLE 7. Numbers of samples, means, and standard deviations (one) of concentration of Na, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, and Sr in the muscle tissue from all collection sites.
PIL PIG LCB PG PS JPB CSM CY AV VDB scz DCB XTC AC SCT DP LJC PBM
Na n 7 11 9 13 9 5 8 9 13 13 10 11 5 6 9 10 11 13 X 7. 366 17,749 9,945 7,248 5,262 6,261 10,808 12,970 10,109 8,150 12,126 10,398 18,708 5,862 11,283 9,408 9,574 12,429 sJ 2,674 7,269 4,193 2,451 1,468 2,987 3,141 2,799 2,657 2,460 5,932 2,661 5,255 999 2,887 2' 194 1,652 4,019
K n 10 9 15 8 5 6 9 12 13 10 11 5 6 9 10 11 12 x 8,977 9,254 8,908 11,624 7. 878 11,234 9,369 10,233 7,394 12.851 9,832 10,632 6 '379 8,832 8,904 11,003 12,614 10.853 sd 2,674 3,281 1,332 763 684 2,241 1,357 1,221 1,837 1,644 1,466 849 1,498 1, 722 2,291 816 663 1,255
.t!g n 7 10 8 14 9 5 8 9 13 13 10 11 5 6 9 10 11 13 X 1,207 1,179 1,471 1,227 1,126 1,355 1,536 1,606 1,619 1,229 2,606 1,430 3,253 1 '786 1,204 1,336 1,417 1, 795 sd 354 666 339 158 187 189 524 405 776 195 871 250 1,102 274 964 186 179 671 c .. 11 12 9 13 5 5 7 8 11 11 8 8 5 6 8 10 11 7 x I IS 64.7 106 98.6 110 56.1 153 166 123 113 96.2 114 876 297 88.9 117 137 114 sJ 33.2 25.2 32.1 22.6 29.9 9.71 48.7 37.8 35.4 21.3 24.9 13.7 274 190 31.3 22.1 41.5 36.0
Nn n 13 14 9 20 14 5 8 10 15 13 10 11 5 6 9 11 12 16 x Nil ND .71 . 39 ND .20 1.35 .54 .71 ND .54 .70 1.10 .70 .80 .34 • 75 .70 sJ .79 .21 .29 1.27 .65 .67 .53 .71 .93 .37 .77 .12 .58 .so
Sr n 14 13 9 20 16 5 7 10 14 12 10 11 5 6 9 10 12 16 x .07 ND 2.82 1.42 ND 1. 74 2.27 7,02 6.18 3.41 5.93 5.69 8.64 4.50 4.82 .89 .82 5.30 sJ .24 1.59 .74 1.17 1. 78 2.34 2.20 1.20 2.74 1.82 2. 89 1.31 2.51 .96 1. 37 2.02 (-) indicates no sample value (ND) not detectable ,_.w ,, "'
S.D. ~ X 110 range 80.1 IUCJ 40 179.7 56.3 Cu digesiJve gland-3a Cu gonadal lissue-3c 80 30
60 2
[L 20
[L 40
10 20
e t t ~ t l I t t t ! t I f 0 f 0 I I I ' I f I I * f * t * t I 30 55.0 20 i33 7 Cu whole horn-3b ' Cu muscle tissue-3d 25 15 2 20
[L 0: 15 10
10 5 5 t l t 1 0 l 0
LOCATION LOCATION
Figure 3. Station means, standard deviations(one), and ranges of copper in digestive gland(3a), whole horn(3b), gonads(3c), and muscle(3d). w N ~~
1000 100 139 Cd digestive gland-4a Cd gonadal tissue-4c 1136 S D. ----=-----)( BOO 80 range i 600 60
Q_ Q_ 400 t I t 40 200 f 20 t l I r t t l .. f t .. i 0 I 0 t I I I I I I I 500 2.0 Cd whole horn-4 b Cd muscle tissue-4d
400 1.5
~ 300
Q_ } 1.0
Q_ 200
0.5 100 t l t I t I 0 0.0 PIL I LCB I PS CSM AV SCZ I XTC SCT I LJC VDB PIG PG JPB CY VDB DCB AC DP PBM LOCATION LOCATION
Figure 4. Station means, standard deviations(one), and ranges of cadmium in digestive gland(4a), whole horn(4b), gonads(4c), and muscle(4d). w w ,, " 40 40 Ni digestive gland -5a 5c-Ni gonadal tissue 717 57.3 range 30 30 :;;:;
(]_ u: 20 20
10 t 0 t t ~ t I • II T '
36.1 2i· 1 f20.7 126 6 27.3 20 Ni whole horn-5b J- 10.0 5d-Ni muscle tissue
15 7.5
:;;:;
(]_ 10 (]_ 5.0
5 I 2.5 f 0 N.D. N.D.N.D. N.D. ~ PIL l LCB G PS PBCSMI AV I SCZ XTC~ SCT LJC 1 PIG P J CY VDB DCB AC DP PBM' LOCATION LOCATION
Figure 5. Station means, standard deviations(one), and ranges of nickel in digestive gland(5a), whole horn(5b), gonads(5c), and muscle(5d). 94.0 50 61.5 20 223 186 1 !53.7 Ag digestive gland -6a 54.7 Ag gonadal tissue-6c 126 40 s .__D. 61.fi X 15 45.7t range 30 1 2 c:L 10
0.. 20
5 10 I e t i ! t I l 1 f l t I t 0 I t 0 1 I I I I • I I • I I • I I I I I I I I 20 2.0 Ag whole horn -6b Ag muscle tissue-6d
15 1.5
~ c:L 10 1.0 c:L
5 0.5 I I l t I t N.D. N.D. 0 0.0 _._ l N.D. 1 PIL I LCB PS CSM AV SCZ XTC 1 SCT I LJC PIG PG JPB CY VDB DCB AC DP PBM LOCATION LOCATION
Figure 6. Station means, standard deviations(one), and ranges of silver in w digestive gland(6a), whole horn(6b), gonads(6c), and muscle(6d). Ul 1000 Zn digestive gland-7a s.p. Zn gonadal tissue -7c X 400 750 range
300 ~ 500 (J_
(J_
Zn whole horn-7b 60 Zn muscle lissue-7d 750
~ 40
(J_ 500 (J_
20 250 l t
VDB
LOCATION LOCATION
Figure 7. Station means, standard deviations(one), and ranges of zinc in w digestive gland(7a), whole horn(7b), gonads(7c), and muscle(7d). 0'1 37
and Rumsby, 1965); while zinc, as well as being an enzyme
activator is a constituent of several important metallo
protein enzymes such as carbonic anhydrase and carboxy
peptidase (Vallee, 1963). Cadmium has been suspected to
have some biological function in the digestive glands of
molluscs (Anderlini, 1973; Friberg et al., 1971). Cadmium
and zinc concentrations in the tissues analyzed for all
stations did not appear to be significantly different and
may reflect natural fluctuations of these elements. However,
copper concentrations in the digestive gland of abalone
from Christmas Tree and Abalone Coves were significantly
different from other stations and possibly reflect abnormal
concentrations of this element in the environment.
Nickel was extremely high in all the tissues of abalone
from Cape San Martin which may be due to natural deposits
of this element. Silver is generally accepted to be highly
toxic to most biological systems. High concentrations of
this element in the gonads and digestive gland of animals
from Abalone Cove were possibly due to high concentrations
of this element in the surrounding environment.
The greatest amount of variability between station
means was seen in the digestive gland and gonadal tissues. ~ Numerous metals have been shown to be absorbed by marine
seaweeds (Bryan, 1969). In areas where ambient levels of
metals are high, seaweed and kelp eaten by abalone may con
tain considerable amounts of these metals. If these metals 38 are then unable to be expelled by the abalone they may become accumulated in the digestive gland and possibly are transferred to other tissues. Because of its close prox imity the gonads are likely to assimulate some of these metals (Fig. 2). Metal concentrations in the whole horn samples had intermediate values between those of digestive gland and gonadal tissues, presumably due to the combina~ tion of these two organs (Table 4). The lowest metal concentrations were predominantly found in muscle tissues and showed the least amount of variability between stations.
It appears that the muscle is the last place where heavy metals accumulate.
Copper, nickel, and silver in digestive gland tissues ranged fvom 0.5 to 2 times those of the gonads; whereas, cadmium and zinc in the digestive gland were generally many times those of the gonads. Cadmium concentrations in the digestive gland ranged from 3 to 77 times those in the gonads; while, zinc concentrations ranged from the same to
12 times greater in the digestive gland than in the gonads.
Cadmium and zinc have been related to activities in the digestive gland and this may explain the much higher
concentrations in the digestive gland than the gonads. High
levels of copper, nickel, and silver in the digestive gland
and correspondingly high levels in the gonads suggest that
these metals may be transferred from one tissue to another.
Differences between the metal concentrations in the 39 digestive gland and those in the muscle were generally greater than between digestive gland and the gonads. The greatest differences between these two tissues were seen in cadmium, with the digestive gland concentrations rang ing from 78 to 508 times greater than those of the muscle.
Silver, nickel, zinc, and copper digestive gland concentra tions ranged from 4 to 55, 2 to 23, 5 to 16, and 0.5 to 8 times greater, respectively, than muscle concentrations.
Again the activity of cadmium in the digestive processess may explain the high concentration in the digestive gland as compared to the muscle. Although high concentrations of the other metals in the digestive gland seem to corres pond to high levels in the muscle, the data are too incon~.
elusive to make other conclusions.
Little correlation was seen between the concentration of "heavy metals" in the digestive gland and levels of "non
toxic elements" in the muscle (Tables 3 and 7). High digestive gland concentrations of copper and silver at
Abalone and Christmas Tree Coves did not show consistent correlations with other elements when compared to other stations or each other. Possibly the "heavy element" concentrations found in this study are not high enough to affect the life processes or essential element ratios in the black abalone. CONCLUSIONS
1.) Concentrations of copper (P=.33), zinc (P=.07),
and nickel (P=.03) in the digestive gland tissues were found
to vary independent of the size of the abalone at the 99%
confidence level; however, concentrations of silver and
cadmium showed·positive correlations with size.
2.) The highest concentrations of copper, cadmium, and
zinc were found in the pure digestive gland tissues, while
nickel and silver were found to be most highly concentrated
in the gonadal tissues. Metal concentrations in the whole
horn samples generally had intermediate values between
those of digestive gland and gonadal tissues while muscle
tissue exhibited the lowest concentrations.
3.) The greatest differences between stations were
seen in copper and silver concentrations in the digestive
gland and gonadal tissues of abalone collected at Abalone
and Christmas Tree Coves which are located on the Palos
Verde Peninsula near the Los Angeles County Sewage outfall
at White's Point.
4.) Black abalone seem to be a suitable environ-
~~ mental monitor organism because they accumulate high con
centrations of "heavy metals" in the digestive and gonadal
tissues. However extreme caution should be exerted to
collect animals of similar size from each station. This
is often difficult to do.
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