Trace elements in bivalve shells: How “vital effects” can bias environmental studies

• Published in: Chemical Geology
• Main Authors: Barrat, Jean-Alix, Chauvaud, Laurent, Olivier, Fréderic, Poitevin, Pierre, Rouget, Marie-Laure
• Other Authors: Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin (LEMAR) (LEMAR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA), Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université des Antilles (UA), Institut des Sciences de la MER de Rimouski (ISMER), Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2023
• Subjects: [CHIM]Chemical Sciences; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-04196769; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2023.121695

International audience We report on the concentrations of rare earths (REE), Y, Mg, Mn, Cu, Zn, Sr, Ba, Pb and U in a series of wild scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) collected alive on the same day in Saint Pierre et Miquelon (a French archipelago located south of Newfoundland) and ranging in age from 2 to about 20 years. We analyzed representative fragments from the entire last annual shell growth increment of each animal to assess changes in trace element incorporation with age.No correlation with the age of the animals was obtained for Sr and Mn concentrations, which are quite variable from one individual to another, even of similar age. On the other hand, for REE, Y, Cu, Zn, Ba and U, the concentrations measured in the last annual growth increment formed by animals aged 2 to 7 years are similar. From 8 years of age, the concentrations of these elements increased very strongly (for example for Yb, almost by an order of magnitude between 8 and 20 years of age), and possibly with some variation between individuals of the same age. Two elements show a different behavior: Mg concentrations in the shell margins increase continuously with the age of the animals; Pb concentrations are scattered but seem to decrease with the age of the animals.This turning point in the behavior of the elements from 8 years of age coincides with major metabolic changes, since at this age wild P. magellanicus from Newfoundland reduce their growth, in favor of gamete production. Our results demonstrate that metabolic activity of the animals largely controls the incorporation of many trace elements into the shells. These results demonstrate that the age of the animals must be taken into account when their shells are used to study pollution or (paleo) environmental condition.