In situ experimental study of the evolution and recolonization of polluted sediments

When perturbing conditions influencing a benthic ecosystem improve, an extremely polluted sediment may very rapidly be colonized by a structured assemblage. This study was made after the implantation of modules containing chemically very contaminated sediment from a polluted biotope, in a lesser contaminated site. The colonization and dynamic processes of the studied mollusc populations do not depend on the concentrations of the solid phase pollutants but are related to the release of these pollutants in the interstitial water of sediments, which in turn is induced by ambiant condition variations and particularly by salinity.