An integrative study on the effects of rice crop water dynamics over the comercial bivalves community of the Alfacs Bay (NW Mediterranean)

XIX Seminario Ibérico de Química Marina (SIQUIMAR), VI Simposio Internacional de Ciencias del Mar - VI International Symposium of Marine Sciences (ISMS 2018), 20- 22 June 2018, Vigo.-- 1 page

Bivalves are worldwide sentinels of anthropogenic pollution. Mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, cockle, Cerastoderma edule and razor shell, Solen marginatus are species of high economic interest in the Iberian Peninsula and in the Ebro delta bays. In this area of high ecological importance, agriculture, fisheries and touristic activities coexist. Some of these anthropogenic activities (e.g. pesticide application for pest control) can negatively affect marine fauna, including shellfish production. Therefore, the goal of this work was to perform an integrative study identifying the main contaminants accumulated in these three species and their biological responses by using biomarkers of exposure to anthropogenic chemicals and any possible pathological incidences. Bivalves from Alfacs bay where sampled in April, May, June and July 2017. Environmental and biological data including water temperature, salinity, oxygen and chlorophyll a were recorded. The sampling campaigns took place, two before the discharge of residual water from the rice fields into the bay and two after the discharge of water from the fields into the bay, right after pesticide application. In addition to pesticides, other sources of contamination can be identified such as urban treated and untreated waste water discharges. Consequently, an analytical method taking into account a mixture of pollutants was used. Biomarkers of pesticide exposure such as esterases and oxidative stress parameters, histological analyses of bivalve's tissue, and bioaccumulation of chemicals were combined and related to environmental water variables using a multidimensional scale approach. The integration of the multi parametrical responses indicated an influence of the water discharges from the crop fields on bivalves. Mussels proved to be the most sensitive bivalve species reflecting water properties and carboxylesterases a sensitive biomarker of pesticide exposure

AimCost project (CGL2016-76332-R MINECO/FEDER, UE) and XENOMETABOLOMIC project (CTM2015-73179-JIN) (AEI/FEDER/UE)

Peer Reviewed