Mussels as bioindicators of PAHs pollution within Argentinean coastal environments, South America
Mussels as bioindicators of PAHs pollution within Argentinean coastal environments, South America
The Bahía Blanca Estuary, located at the Atlantic coast of Argentina, includes a governmental nature reserve to protect biodiversity, lands and water; however, as the process of industrialization and urbanization is stepping rapidly at the neighbouring area, the potential increase in contaminant loads is a serious concern. After several contaminants surveys at the estuary, no single study has been yet performed in order to study the native mussels population assemblages vs. the chemical environment; then, to test the ability of Brachidontes rodriguezii assemblages as pollution indicators, native populations were chosen at three different sites from the Bahía Blanca Estuary.