HISTOPATHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF PETROLEUM-HYDROCARBONS AND HEAVY-METALS ON THE AMERICAN OYSTER (CRASSOSTREA-VIRGINICA) FROM TABASCO, MEXICO

Citation
G. Goldbouchot et al., HISTOPATHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF PETROLEUM-HYDROCARBONS AND HEAVY-METALS ON THE AMERICAN OYSTER (CRASSOSTREA-VIRGINICA) FROM TABASCO, MEXICO, Marine pollution bulletin, 31(4-12), 1995, pp. 439-445
Citations number
31
Categorie Soggetti
Marine & Freshwater Biology","Environmental Sciences
Journal title
ISSN journal
0025326X
Volume
31
Issue
4-12
Year of publication
1995
Pages
439 - 445
Database
ISI
SICI code
0025-326X(1995)31:4-12<439:HEOPAH>2.0.ZU;2-3
Abstract
Oyster tissues may be affected by the concentration of ions in the wat er (i.e. salinity) and by contaminants such as petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals. Oyster populations from three coastal lagoons (Mecoa can, Camen and Machona) in the Mexican state of Tabasco, in the southe rn Gulf of Mexico, were sampled for pollution studies during June, Sep tember and November 1992 and May 1993, No statistically significant re lationships were found between the concentration of contaminants in th e body tissues of organisms and their shell length, soft tissue weight and particulate matter; however, a significant correlation was found between condition index and salinity (r = -0.72). Generally, the lowes t weights, shell lengths and indices of condition were found in Mecoac an. The concentrations of cadmium and zinc were inversely related to s alinity (r = -0.52 and r = -0.32, respectively), so a riverine input i s suspected. On average, 63% of the individual oysters showed histopat hological lesions, which can be related to salinity and to the concent rations of cadmium and the unresolved fraction of hydrocarbons (UCM). The response of each of the tissues analysed was different. The percen tage of individuals with damage in the digestive diverticulum increase d linearly with UCM (r = 0.71), but in a saturation-response fashion ( r = B-0 - B-0/(1 + X(B1)), r = 0.66) with cadmium, The percentage of i ndividuals, with damage in the gills increased linearly with weight (r = 0.68), cadmium (r = 0.60) and UCM (r = 0.60). The lesions in the co nnective tissue decreased Linearly (r = -0.82) with salinity, but incr eased in a saturation-response way (r = 0.83) with cadmium. Finally, t he percentage of individuals with lesions in the digestive tube decrea sed linearly with salinity (r = -0.59). Only the damage to the gills a nd digestive diverticula were dependent on gonadal maturity, while dam age to the connective tissue was dependent on the sex of the individua l.