Resumen

SALAMANCA, Marco A.; JARA, Bibiana  y  RODRIGUEZ, Tatiana. CU, PB AND ZN LEVELS IN PERUMYTILUS PURPURATUS ANS WATER IN SAN JORGE BAY, NORTHERN CHILE. Gayana (Concepc.) [online]. 2004, vol.68, n.1, pp. 53-62. ISSN 0717-6538.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0717-65382004000100005.

It is well known that trace metal pollution if one of major risk factors for coastal organisms who are exposed to the effects of industrial and urban discharges in bays and estuaries. In addition, it is also known that trace metals are involved in several biological cycles of different organisms, affecting their abundance and distribution. Several studies to evaluate the effects of the discharge of anthropogenic activities have been made, measuring the concentration of pollutants in water, sediments and organisms. In this context, bivalves have been used widely as index of coastal pollution processes, since they are sesile and are exposed permanently to the effect of these subtances allowing them being used as biomonitors. Considering that Perumytilus purpuratus is distributed widely along the intertidal zone of San Jorge Bay (Region II, Chile) and the presence of several industrial and urban discharges from Antofagasta City, in this paper this bivalve was used to monitoring the trace metal concentrations in bay waters which might be reflected in the trace metal content in this organism, as function to the location of metal potential sources

Palabras llave : Heavy metals; bivalves; seawater; coastal zone.