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Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations in sediments and the invasive bivalves Limnoperna fortunei and Corbicula fluminea at the Río de la Plata basin, Argentina

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Abstract

Cd, Cu and Zn content in sediments and bivalves (Limnoperna fortunei and Corbicula fluminea) were studied in the lower 500 km stretch of the Paraná River and in the right margin of the Río de la Plata Estuary. Both bivalves species showed higher metal contents at the Paraná River, possibly related to water chemistry. The Paraná water is circumneutral and soft, while the Río de la Plata coastal water is alkaline, hard, with a higher organic content. Bivalves sampled at the thermal effluent of the Atucha Nuclear Power Plant, at the Paraná River, showed the highest metal content, either from increased absorption at the higher water temperatures (12 °C higher than the river water) or from metal corrosion of the power plant cooling system. L. fortunei and C. fluminea appeared to be successful biomonitor organisms for Cd pollution in the basin, while Cu and Zn content in bivalve tissues was apparently not related to metal load.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Limnología, CC 712, 1900, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina E-mail

    Carlos Villar (`Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet') & Carlos Bonetto

  2. INQUIMAE, FCEyN, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Jorge Stripeikis, Liliana D'Huicque, Mabel Tudino & Osvaldo Troccoli

Authors
  1. Carlos Villar
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  2. Jorge Stripeikis
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  3. Liliana D'Huicque
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  4. Mabel Tudino
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  5. Osvaldo Troccoli
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  6. Carlos Bonetto
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Correspondence to Carlos Villar.

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Villar, C., Stripeikis, J., D'Huicque, L. et al. Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations in sediments and the invasive bivalves Limnoperna fortunei and Corbicula fluminea at the Río de la Plata basin, Argentina. Hydrobiologia 416, 41–49 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003811223880

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