Trace metal content in sediment cores and seagrass biomass from a tropical southwest Pacific Island

Shalini Singh; Monal M Lal; Paul C Southgate; Morgan Wairiu; Awnesh Singh

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112745

Trace metal content in sediment cores and seagrass biomass from a tropical southwest Pacific Island

Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Oct:171:112745. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112745. Epub 2021 Jul 27.

Authors

Shalini Singh¹, Monal M Lal², Paul C Southgate³, Morgan Wairiu⁴, Awnesh Singh⁴

Affiliations

¹ Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development, The University of the South Pacific, Lower Laucala Campus, Laucala Bay Road, Suva, Fiji; College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Fiji National University, Koronivia, Nausori, Fiji. Electronic address: sophie.shalinisingh@gmail.com.
² Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research and School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, Queensland 4558, Australia; Division of Marine Studies, School of Agriculture, Geography, Environment, Ocean and Natural Sciences, University of the South Pacific, Lower Laucala Campus, Laucala Bay Road, Suva, Fiji.
³ Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research and School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, Queensland 4558, Australia.
⁴ Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development, The University of the South Pacific, Lower Laucala Campus, Laucala Bay Road, Suva, Fiji.

PMID: 34325150
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112745

Abstract

A unique feature of seagrass among other ecosystem services is to have high phytoremediation potential that is a cost-effective plant-based approach and environmentally friendly solution for metal contamination in coastal areas. The goal of this study was to assess the phytoremediation prospective of seagrass for Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in Fiji Islands. Heavy metal content was measured in sediments and tissues of the seagrasses Halophila ovalis, Halodule pinifolia and Halodule uninervis to test for local-scale differences. The local study shows that metal concentration in sediment and seagrass tissue was significantly variable, regardless of species and sediment type. Sedimentary concentration of Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn obtained in the present study seemed to be lower than that of previous studies. The results support that H. ovalis is a good bioindicator species since it accumulated up to 5-fold more of these metals compared to the Halodule species.

Keywords: Halodule pinifolia; Halodule uninervis; Halophila ovalis; Seagrass; Sediment; Trace metal.

MeSH terms

Biomass
Ecosystem*
Environmental Monitoring
Geologic Sediments
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Pacific Islands
Prospective Studies

Substances

Metals, Heavy