Interspecific comparison of Cd bioaccumulation in European Pectinidae (Chlamys varia and Pecten maximus)

The uptake and loss kinetics of Cd were determined in two species of scallops from the European coasts, the variegated scallop Chlamys varia and the king scallop Pecten maximus, following exposures via seawater, phytoplankton and sediment using highly sensitive radiotracer techniques (109Cd). Results indicate that, for seawater and dietary pathways, C. varia displays higher bioaccumulation capacities in terms of uptake rate from water and fraction absorbed from ingested food (assimilation efficiency) than Pecten maximus. Regarding sediment exposure, P. maximus displayed low steady-state Cd transfer factor (TFSS < 1); however, once incorporated, a very large part of Cd transferred from sediment (92%) was strongly retained within P. maximus tissues.Both species showed a high retention capacity for Cd (biological half-life, Tb1/2 > 4 months), suggesting efficient mechanisms of detoxification and storage in both species. The digestive gland was found to be the main storage organ of Cd in the two scallops regardless of the exposure pathway. However, Cd was stored differently within this organ according to the species considered: 40% of the total Cd was found in the soluble cellular fraction in C. varia whereas this soluble fraction reached 80% for P. maximus. This suggests that the two species displayed different Cd detoxification/storage mechanisms.Finally, the present study has determined the relative contribution of the different exposure pathways to global Cd bioaccumulation for the two scallop species. Results clearly show that for both species, food constitutes the major accumulation pathway, contributing for > 99% and 84% of the global Cd bioaccumulation in C. varia and P. maximus, respectively. This work confirms the previous assumption, derived from a bibliographic overview, that dietary pathway plays a prevalent role in metal bioaccumulation in Pectinidae.