| Summary: | The Marennes-Oléron Bay, hosting the largest oyster production in France, is influenced by thehistoric polymetallic pollution of the Gironde Estuary, with cadmium levels in oysters close tothe consumption limit level (5 μg.g-1 dw, EC No.466/2001). The aim of this pluridisciplinarywork was to characterize the behaviour of trace metals in the coastal zone and the mechanisms ofCd contamination in oysters in the Marennes Oléron Bay. Seven oceanographic cruises wereconducted during contrasting season to characterize trace metals behaviour and speciation in theGironde and Charente estuaries and the coastal zone. Then, a spatial and temporal study of tracemetals in the surface sediments of the Marennes-Oléron Bay showed punctual Cd-enrichedsediments in the southern part, reflecting the connexion with the Gironde waters and theparticulate Cd inputs via the Maumusson inlet. Thus, this area was chosen to study Cdbioaccumulation in oysters over a three months transplantation. The regional hydrodynamic,observed by satellite images, played an important role on Cd speciation and the temporalvariability of dissolved and particulate Cd concentrations. Cadmium bioaccumulation in organsof oysters reared on tables at 60 cm height was more important than in oysters reared near thesediment, suggesting the absence of Cd released during tidal suspension from sediment andmicrophytobenthos. Furthermore, as the immersion time was closed between the two rearingconditions, we suggested Cd bioaccumulation via the direct pathway and also via trophicpathway of contamination by pelagic plankton ingestion. This trophic pathway of Cdcontamination was validated during laboratory experiments using a simultaneous tracing of Cddirect and trophic pathways in oysters by stable isotope spikes at concencentrations 10-foldhigher than the Gironde Estuary and at realistic concentrations observed in the Marennes-OléronBay. La baie de Marennes Oléron, premier site ostréicole français, est influencée par la pollution polymétallique historique de l’estuaire ...
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