Heavy Metal Bioaccumulation by Cestode Parasites of Mustelus Schmitti (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes), from the Bahía Blanca Estuary, Argentina

Abstract

The environment of the Bahía Blanca estuary is considered a hot spot in terms of pollution. Bioindicators should have the ability to react relatively fast to certain pollutants and environmental disturbances. Therefore, an exploratory study was carried out determining and quantifying the concentrations of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in the muscle and liver of Mustelus schmitti narrownose smooth-hound and were compared with the values obtained from their respective helminth assemblies. In most of the fishes analyzed, the concentration of heavy metals was higher in the infra communities of cestodes compared to the host. Our results position the cestodes as efficient sentinel species of pollution by bioaccumulating higher concentrations of heavy metals than the host tissues, thus behaving in excellent early warnings of environmental pollution, more real than quantifications in sediments, in water and fish.