Clam Transplantation and Stress-Related Biomarkers as Useful Tools for Assessing Water Quality in Coastal Environments

In this study, the Active BioMonitoring (ABM) approach has been investigated using species of indigenous (from a pristine site) and transplanted (to a polluted area) hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria as an indicator organism of water/sediment pollution in Tampa Bay, Florida, a highly urbanized and industrialized subtropical estuary. A range of possible induced stress indices was selected and used on the basis of potential pollutant toxicity mechanisms including specific enzymatic responses (MFO as BPH and NADPH cytochrome c reductase, antioxidant enzymes as SOD and caltalase, PDH) and general cellular damage (lysosomal latency, histopathological lesions). The organic sediment contamination compared to the animal body burden revealed bioaccumulation activity in transplanted clams. The marked increases of BPH and catalase activities, together with the significant reduction of lysosomal membrane stability in transplanted animals, suggested their potential for application as biomarkers in subtropical coastal pollution monitoring.