Browsing by Subject "Blue crab"

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    Assessing lead and cadmium pollution at the mouth of the river Segura (SE Spain) using the invasive blue crab (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896, Crustacea, Decapoda, Portunidae) as a bioindicator organism
    (Elsevier, 2020-11-04) Salvat-Leal, Inmaculada; Verdiell, David; Parrondo, Paz; Barcala, Elena; Romero García, Diego; Ciencias Sociosanitarias
    The aim of this study was to evaluate Cd and Pb concentrations in the hepatopancreas, gills, muscle tissue and carapace of the crab Callinectes sapidus and in sediments from the mouth of the river Segura (SE Spain), an area that has undergone great anthropogenic change in recent decades. Lead concentrations were higher than Cd concentrations in the hepatopancreas, gills and muscles; no statistical differences were found between the sexes. Cadmium and Pb concentrations in sediments did not exceed the probable effect level in guidelines for the protection of aquatic life. The Biological Sediments Accumulation Factor (BSAF) was higher for Cd than Pb in the hepatopancreas, gills and carapace. For Cd, the hepatopancreas had the highest BSAF of all tissues, followed by gills. As well, the hepatopancreas had the highest Individual Mean Bioaccumulation Index (IMBI). The hepatopancreas and gills of the blue crab could thus be useful tissues for practical field monitoring of metal contamination in this ecosystem
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    Can Microplastics Influence the Accumulation of Pb in Tissues of Blue Crab?
    (MDPI, 2021-03-30) Munuera, Paula; Salvat-Leal, Inmaculada; Belmonte, Antonio; Romero, Diego; Ciencias Sociosanitarias
    The study of microplastics (MPs) and associated pollutants is essential for a better under standing of some of the factors that threaten marine ecosystems. The main objective of this study was thus to assess Pb distribution and accumulation in the tissues of blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) exposed to MPs. Blue crabs were collected from the mouth of the river Segura (Guardamar, Spain) and fed on mussels from two Mediterranean areas with different levels of Pb contamination: Portmán Bay and San Pedro del Pinatar (Murcia, Spain). In addition, a batch of each group were exposed to MPs. After seven days of exposure, the crabs were euthanised, and tissues and faeces were analysed. The hepatopancreas was found to be the best tissue for measuring Pb concentrations after feeding; muscle tissue did not provide information on environmental quality. The meat (mus cle) consumption of blue crabs from zones with high Pb content does not seem to constitute a risk for consumers, although the risk is not totally negated if all soft tissues are ingested. The presence of MPs in the water does not seem to increase the accumulation of Pb in these tissues of C. sapidus
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    Chronic microplastic exposure and cadmium accumulation in Blue Crabs
    (MDPI, 2022-05-05) Hernández-López, María; Romero, Diego; Ciencias Sociosanitarias
    Aquatic ecosystems are severely threatened by the presence of a multitude of pollutants. In seas and oceans, the amount of plastics continues to increase and there is great concern about toxic element accumulation. Specifically, cadmium (Cd), a toxic metal, is highly relevant to public health safety due to its ability to accumulate in the internal tissues of crustaceans; likewise, microplastics (MPs) are emerging as pollutants capable of causing alterations in marine organisms. The aim of this study was thus to evaluate the accumulation and distribution of Cd in the tissue of blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) chronically exposed to MPs (25 µg L−1). In total, 24 crabs were exposed in water for 118 days to 2 types of MPs (virgin and oxidised). During the final 21 days of the experiment, the crabs were fed with tuna liver, a viscera in which Cd accumulates (mean of 7.262 µg g−1). The presence of MPs caused no changes in Cd concentrations in either the haemolymph or tissues (hepatopancreas, gills, and muscles) of the crabs, although for oxidised MPs, there was a positive correlation between Cd concentrations in the hepatopancreas and muscles, a relevant finding for food safety.