Cadmium and arsenic bioaccumulation and bio-concentration in the endemic toothed carp Aphanius arakensis in salt water

• Main Authors: Masoumeh Ariyaee, Amir Hossein Hamidian, Soheil Eagderi, Sohrab Ashrafi, Hadi Poorbagher
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Tehran 2018-02-01
• Series: International Journal of Aquatic Biology
• Subjects: toxicity, heavy metals, organs, bcf.
• Online Access: http://ij-aquaticbiology.com/index.php/ijab/article/view/447

Heavy metals are released to aquatic ecosystems from natural and anthropogenic recourses and accumulate to the body of organisms. This study aimed to assess the accumulation of As and Cd in the gill, liver, and muscle of the toothed carp Aphanius arakensis in salt water exposed to three concentrations of Cd and As (5, 10 and 20 mg L-1) for 18 days. The specimens were collected from the Shoor River with an average weight of 1.5±0.3 g (mean±SD) and length of 3.4±0.4 cm. The findings showed that the bio-concentration factor (BCF) of Cd and As were in the following order: liver > gill > muscle, however, for 5 ppm of As the order was gill > liver > muscle. BCF in As concentrations were more than Cd concentrations. Also, the highest BCF was found at 5 ppm. The present study showed that the liver is the organ that accumulates the highest concentrations of As and Cd.