Abstract

The metal (Pb, Cu, Cd, and Cr) concentrations in the soft tissues of the gastropod mollusc limpet (Patella rustica) from the Moroccan Atlantic Coast were measured. The relationships between limpets size and metal levels were investigated by linear regression analysis. This work was carried out to determine the bioaccumulation and relationships of some essential (Cu and Cr) and non-essential (Pb and Cd) metals in the soft tissues of P. rustica by calculating the correlation analysis. For this study, 120 limpets (P. rustica) were collected from three different locations in the purpose to analyse the levels of metals by using the standard Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). In soft tissues of P. rustica, the metal concentrations (ng/mg dry weight) decrease in the following order: Cu (4.14) > Cr (3.98) > Pb (2.13) > Cd (1.18). The results of the linear regression analysis confirmed that in all samples the relationships between metal concentrations and limpets size were significant. Moreover, the smaller size of limpets showed higher concentrations (ng/mg dry weight) of Cd, Pb, Cu and Cr than the larger ones. However, it was found that the tissue of P. rustica has the potential to be used as a biomonitoring agent for the metal contamination in gastropod molluscs, as indicated by the significant correlation between metal concentrations (Pb, Cu, Cd, and Cr) in the soft tissues of limpets and their size.

Key words: Metals, Patella rustica, length, weight, bioaccumulation, Moroccan Atlantic Coast.