Benthic bioturbation: A canary in the mine for the retention and release of metals from estuarine sediments

Author(s)

Barcellos, Diego ^{[1, 2]} ; Jensen, Sebastian S. K. ^[3] ; Bernardino, Angelo F. ^[1] ; Gabriel, Fabricio A. ^[1] ; Ferreira, Tiago O. ^[2] ; Quintana, Cintia O. ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Espirito Santo, Dept Oceanog, BR-29075910 Vitoria, ES - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, USP, ESALQ, Dept Soil Sci, Luiz de Queiroz Coll Agr, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Southern Denmark, Dept Biol, DK-5230 Odense M - Denmark

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Marine Pollution Bulletin; v. 172, NOV 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

After the largest mining tailings spill in Brazil, the Rio Doce estuarine ecosystem was severely impacted by metal contamination. In a 28-day laboratory experiment, we examined the effects of the polychaeta Laeonereis sp. on fluxes of oxygen and metal across the sediment-water interface. The density-dependent effect of Laeonereis sp. in the oxygen and metal fluxes was tested at low and high (74 and 222 ind m(-2), respectively) densities, and compared with defaunated controls. The higher worm density had an amplified effect on the oxygen flux, sediment uptake of Al and Mn, and Fe oxidation compared with the control, but no significant effects on other metals (Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn). Higher worm density increased the oxidation of Fe phases, but no effect in the solid phase of other metals. Consequently, Laeonereis sp. bioturbation prevents the reduction of Fe phases and the release of metal-bound-contaminants to estuarine systems. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/02855-0 - Redox fluctuations, iron and heavy metals dynamics in soils from Rio Doce estuary after the "Mariana (MG) disaster": an experimental approach
• Grantee: Diego Barcellos
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 19/19987-6 - Soils and plants of the Rio Doce estuary controlling the biogeochemistry of iron and metals in response to the Mariana (MG) disaster
• Grantee: Tiago Osório Ferreira
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 18/08408-2 - Comparative studies of the mineral transformation of iron oxide nanoparticles in mine-tailing affected sediments and soils and their impacts on mobilization and fixation of heavy metals under two contrasting redox environments
• Grantee: Tiago Osório Ferreira
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants