Cadmium bioconcentration in the echinoid Paracentrotus lividus: Influence of the cadmium concentration in seawater

Uptake and loss kinetics of cadmium were studied in Paracentrotus lividus exposed for 24 d to different stable Cd concentrations (0 to 1.14 μg Cd l⁻¹) and ¹⁰⁹Cd tracer added to seawater. The whole-body uptake kinetics were linear over the time course of the experiment. The whole-body ¹⁰⁹Cd concentration factor was independent of the stable Cd concentration in ambient seawater. Bioconcentration of Cd in whole individuals and their body compartments was directly proportional to the Cd concentration added to the seawater. The echinoid digestive tract wall showed the highest degree of Cd uptake. Whole-body loss kinetics were described by a 2-component exponential equation. The loss kinetics were similar for each of the treatments examined. Cadmium was found to display a long biological half-life in echinoid tissues; the major fraction (73 to 85%) of the Cd taken up by echinoids was eliminated following a loss component whose biological half-life was of the order of 1 year, regardless of the absolute Cd concentration accumulated by the echinoid. Paracentrotus lividus is suggested as a valuable biomonitor of Cd, particularly where knowledge of Cd concentration variations over long-term is of interest.