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Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Clean Sampling and Analysis of River and Estuarine Waters for Trace Metal Studies
Published on: July 1, 2016
Trace Metals Bioavailability Approach in Intertidal Estuarine Sediments and Bioaccumulation in Associated Nereidid
Delfina Castiglioni1, Carlos Eduardo Rezende2, Pablo Muniz3
1Ecología Teórica y Aplicada, Centro Universitario Regional Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, 20000, Uruguay.
Abstract:
Polychaetes that inhabit the sediments of estuaries are important prey to many species all around the world. Laeonereis acuta is a deposit feeder living in estuaries along the Atlantic coast of South America. Ragworms accumulate metals from the sediment, and represent a means of entry of sediment contaminants into the trophic network. The concentrations of Zn, Pb, Cu, Cr and Cd were determined in polychaetes and sediments (total and extractable) from six estuarine beaches of Río de la Plata. The associations between total and extractable concentrations in sediment and accumulated concentrations in L. acuta were analyzed. Sediments extracted by weak acid digestion appear to be a good proxy model of bioavailable metal fractions in the sediment. The association between metals in sediment and polychaetes denotes the role of L. acuta as an important link in metal trophic transfer from sediments to potential fish and bird predators of the worm.
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