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Marine sponges with contrasting life histories can be complementary biomonitors of heavy metal pollution in coastal ecosystems

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Abstract

In this study, we compared the usefulness of a long-living sponge (Hymeniacidon heliophila, Class Demospongiae) and a short-living one (Paraleucilla magna, Class Calcarea) as biomonitors of metallic pollution. The concentrations of 16 heavy metals were analyzed in both species along a gradient of decreasing pollution from the heavily polluted Guanabara Bay to the less impacted coastal islands in Rio de Janeiro, SE Brazil (SW Atlantic). The levels of most elements analyzed were higher in H. heliophila (Al, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Hg, Ni, and Sn) and P. magna (Ni, Cu, Mn, Al, Ti, Fe, Pb, Co, Cr, Zn, and V) collected from the heavily polluted bay when compared with the cleanest sites. Hymeniacidon heliophila accumulates 11 elements more efficiently than P. magna. This difference may be related to their skeleton composition, histological organization, symbiont bacteria and especially to their life cycle. Both species can be used as a biomonitors of metallic pollution, but while Hymeniacidon heliophila was more effective in concentrating most metals, Paraleucilla magna is more indicated to detect recent pollutant discharges due to its shorter life cycle. We suggest that the complementary use of species with contrasting life histories can be an effective monitoring strategy of heavy metals in coastal environments.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Fernando Moraes, Sergio Cabral, Rafael Belleza, Andre Rennó, and Vitor Tavares for the assistance in the fieldwork. We are grateful to Gustavo Sehe and Heitor Evangelista from Laboratório de Radioecologia e Mudanças Globais (LARAMG/UERJ) for the help in sample lyophilization. We also gratefully acknowledge Álvaro J. Pereira for the help in heavy metal analysis. This research was supported by Fundação Carlos Chagas de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Divisão de Biotecnologia Marinha, Instituto de Estudos do Mar Almirante Paulo Moreira, Rua Kioto 253, Praia dos Anjos, Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Daniela Batista

  2. Laboratório de Porifera, Depto. de Invertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista s/n, São Cristóvão, 20940-040, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Daniela Batista & Guilherme Muricy

  3. Laboratório de Espectrometria de Massa, Departamento de Química, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, R. Marquês de São Vicente 225, Gávea, 22451-900, Brazil

    Rafael Chávez Rocha & Norbert F. Miekeley

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  1. Daniela Batista
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  2. Guilherme Muricy
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  3. Rafael Chávez Rocha
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  4. Norbert F. Miekeley
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Correspondence to Daniela Batista.

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Communicated by Elena Maestri

In memoriam of Norbert F. Miekeley.

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Batista, D., Muricy, G., Rocha, R.C. et al. Marine sponges with contrasting life histories can be complementary biomonitors of heavy metal pollution in coastal ecosystems. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 5785–5794 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2530-7

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