Elemental Composition and Freezing Tolerance in High Arctic Fishes and Invertebrates

The elemental composition in different Arctic fishes and invertebrates was investigated using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrophotometer (ICPMS). Nineteen elements such as Arsenic (As), Barium (Ba), Bismuth (Bi), Cadmium (Cd), Cesium (Cs), Chromium (Cr), Cobalt (Co), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), L...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability
Main Authors: Shiv Mohan Singh, Masaharu Tsuji, Purnima Singh, Ravindra Uttam Mulik
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811727
https://doaj.org/article/36c2998abcb64608b9c09b7c9d16c803
Description
Summary:The elemental composition in different Arctic fishes and invertebrates was investigated using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrophotometer (ICPMS). Nineteen elements such as Arsenic (As), Barium (Ba), Bismuth (Bi), Cadmium (Cd), Cesium (Cs), Chromium (Cr), Cobalt (Co), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Lead (Pb), Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni), Rubidium (Rb), Selinium (Se), Silver (Ag), Strontium (Sr), Uranium (U), Vanadium (V), and Zinc (Zn) were analyzed in six species of fishes ( Anarhichas lupus , Gadus ogac , Gadus morhu , Gymnocanthus tricuspis , Liparis sp., Myoxocephalus scorpius ) and four benthic invertebrates ( Ophiura albida , O. Sarsii , Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis , Polychaete). Elemental data revealed that the invertebrates accumulate higher concentrations of elements than the fishes. The high concentration of elements including Sr, As, and Zn indicated anthropogenic contribution and may affect the fish community in the fragile ecosystem of the High Arctic. The movement of tourists and logistics must be regulated to prevent serious change in Svalbard. Most of the fishes have shown strong antifreeze protein (AFP) activity, and this potential helps fishes to survive in the cold Arctic environment. This is the first study of elemental concentrations and AFPs in fishes and benthic invertebrates filling the knowledge gap from the High Arctic.