MODELING TRACE METAL ACCUMULATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN MUSSEL, MYTILUS GALLOPROVINCIALIS

Abstract: Monitoring coastal contamination by trace metals pollution using mollusks bivalves as quantitative bioindicators is widely performed in many international biomonitoring programs. In this purpose, modeling metal dynamic in marine mussels is a reliable tool. It allows understanding the bioaccumulation process which results from the interactions between biological, chemical and environmental factors. To calibrate such a model, kinetic experiments on uptake and elimination were conducted on three Mediterranean sites chosen on the basis of their different nutritive and chemical characteristics