Analysis of heavy metals (Pb and Cd) in seagrasses Thalassia hemprichii and Enhalus acoroides from Pulau Sembilan, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

Rosalina D, Rombe KH, Jamil K, Surachmat A. 2022. Analysis of heavy metals (Pb and Cd) in seagrasses Thalassia hemprichii and Enhalus acoroides from Pulau Sembilan, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 23: 2139-2145. Seagrasses are flowering plants (Angiospermae) with fruit, flowers, leaves, rhizomes and roots that grow in shallow marine waters. The seagrasses Thalassia hemprichii and Enhalus acoroides have been observed growing around Pulau Sembilan in Sinjai Regency, Indonesia, specifically Kambuno, Katindoang, and Liang-Liang Islands. Meanwhile, human activities such as seaweed cultivation, recreation, marine transportation, fishing boats and ports/piers, and human settlements produce heavy metals that affect these plants. Therefore, this research was conducted to measure the lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) content in T. hemprichii and E. acoroides (roots and leaves) as well as in the water column and sediment in Pulau Sembilan, Sinjai Regency, South Sulawesi Province. The research was conducted using a descriptive method and the sites were determined through purposive sampling. The Pb and Cd content were analyzed at the Laboratory of the Makassar Plantation Product Center using the AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry) method. The results showed that both seagrasses accumulated Pb and Cd in leaves and roots. Seagrass Pb content was higher than Cd content: in T. hemprichii, the Pb content in roots and leaves was 1.485 mg/kg and 2.861 mg/kg, respectively; in E. acoroides they were 1.512 mg/kg and 8.343 mg/kg, respectively. Pb content was also higher than Cd content in the water column (1.083 mg/L) and sediment (7.753 mg/kg). Concentrations of both heavy metals exceeded the Indonesian environmental quality standard in the seagrasses and in the ambient environment.