Effect of starvation on trace metal levels in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis)

The use of bivalves as monitors of marine coastal contamination has become widespread. However, many investigations have shown that numerous factors affect contaminant concentrations, in particular trace metals, in mussels tissues. This is not surprising since some metals, e.g., copper and zinc, have well-established physiological roles, while others, such as cadmium, are toxic to higher animals and have no known physiological function. An organism can serve as a quantitative indicator of environmental contamination only if a tissue contaminant concentration or burden reflects the contamination of the animal's environment in a rational way. The authors have investigated the effect of starvation on a number of trace elements in blue mussels (mytilus edulis) to determine which elements were not eliminated as the animal starved (a burden control model) and which elements were excreted (a concentration control model) in response to decreasing tissue weight.