Trace metal content in sediment cores and seagrass biomass from a tropical southwest Pacific Island

Abstract

A unique feature of seagrass among other ecosystem services is to have high phytoremediation potential that is a cost-effective plant-based approach and environmentally friendly solution for metal contamination in coastal areas. The goal of this study was to assess the phytoremediation prospective of seagrass for Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in Fiji Islands. Heavy metal content was measured in sediments and tissues of the seagrasses Halophila ovalis, Halodule pinifolia and Halodule uninervis to test for local-scale differences. The local study shows that metal concentration in sediment and seagrass tissue was significantly variable, regardless of species and sediment type. Sedimentary concentration of Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn obtained in the present study seemed to be lower than that of previous studies. The results support that H. ovalis is a good bioindicator species since it accumulated up to 5-fold more of these metals compared to the Halodule species.

Blue carbon storage in Fijian seagrass meadows: First insights into carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus content from a tropical southwest Pacific Island

“…They are widely distributed throughout the Viti Levu coastline forming dense or patchy beds (Singh et al, 2019). Brief descriptions of the morphological characteristics of Halodule are very similar based on the shape of the leaf tip (trident or rounded) and leaf blade width which is either narrow or wide (Singh et al, 2021). Halophila are minute and fragile, without stripe-like long leaf blades, but rather oval shaped leaves in pairs (McKenzie and Yoshida, 2020;Singh et al, 2021).…”

“…Brief descriptions of the morphological characteristics of Halodule are very similar based on the shape of the leaf tip (trident or rounded) and leaf blade width which is either narrow or wide (Singh et al, 2021). Halophila are minute and fragile, without stripe-like long leaf blades, but rather oval shaped leaves in pairs (McKenzie and Yoshida, 2020;Singh et al, 2021). Moreover, species of both genera grow in shallow intertidal to subtidal waters directly adjacent to coastal areas in sand/mud banks (Singh et al, 2021).…”

“…Halophila are minute and fragile, without stripe-like long leaf blades, but rather oval shaped leaves in pairs (McKenzie and Yoshida, 2020;Singh et al, 2021). Moreover, species of both genera grow in shallow intertidal to subtidal waters directly adjacent to coastal areas in sand/mud banks (Singh et al, 2021). At each location, sampling was performed in intertidal areas in seagrass meadows dominated by either H. uninervis, H. pinifolia or H. ovalis, as well as unvegetated areas adjacent to the seagrass study site.…”

“…At each location, sampling was performed in intertidal areas in seagrass meadows dominated by either H. uninervis, H. pinifolia or H. ovalis, as well as unvegetated areas adjacent to the seagrass study site. Sampling locations were chosen at random and only the top 10 cm of sediment was analyzed (Singh et al, 2021). Because previous work (Pohler and Collen, 2006) had indicated that sediments in the area were predominantly mud, so no specific particle analysis was completed.…”

The efficiency of trace element uptake by seagrass Cymodocea serrulata in Rabigh lagoon, Red Sea

“…Trace elements such as Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn support plant metabolism and are essential micronutrients, while others such as Pb and Cd are very toxic to organisms even in minimal or low concentrations (Malea et al 2019;Goretti et al 2020). However, humans' different management and use of the environment, such as processes in industrialization, has caused the rise in concentrations of trace elements in the natural environment (Aljahdali and Alhassan 2020b;Boutahar et al 2021;Singh et al 2021). This has led to degradation of the marine environment with negative consequences of the well-being of both flora and fauna, and the ecosystem at large (Bonanno and Raccuia 2018), hence the need for assessment and biomonitoring of environmental well-being as an integral aspect of conserving the natural ecosystem (Bonanno et al 2017).…”