Shell shape as a biomarker of marine pollution historic increase

MARQUEZ, F.; PRIMOST, M.A.; BIGATTI, G.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2017 vol. 114 p. 816 - 820

0025-326X

Buccinanops globulosus is a TBT sensitive marine gastropod, classified as a good indicator of imposex incidenceand used as a model to study adverse contamination effects. Population and maritime industries has incrementedpollution in Nuevo gulf harbor since 1970s, promoting morphological changes in B. globulosus shell shape. Westudy the shell shape of the species comparing present day´s specimens from the harbor zone with those collected in the same zone before the increasing of maritime activity and pre-Hispanic archaeological Middens. Wedemonstrated that harbor pollution produces globular shell shape in B. globulosus, an effect that probably allowsgastropods to isolate themselves from the external adverse environment. On the contrary, shells from pre-Hispanic periods, unpolluted sites and those collected before the expansion of maritime activities, presented anelongated shell shape. Our study confirms that shell shape variation in marine gastropods can be used as a biomarker of harbor pollution.