Ford T, Sorci J, Ika R, Shine J
Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Environ Health Perspect. 1998 Aug;106 Suppl 4(Suppl 4):1033-9. doi: 10.1289/ehp.98106s41033.
The fate of toxic metals in marine sediments depends on a combination of the physical, chemical, and biologic conditions encountered in any given environment. These conditions may vary dramatically, both spatially and temporally, in response to factors ranging from seasonal changes and storm events to human activities such as dredging or remediation efforts. This paper describes a program designed to evaluate the interrelationships between the microbial community and pollutants in the New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts, area, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated Superfund site. Research has focused on establishing distributional relationships between contaminant metals, fluxes of metals between sediments and the overlying water, changes in microbial diversity in response to metals, and potential use of the microbial community as a biomarker of contaminant availability. This research has shown that a significant flux of metals to the water column is mediated by benthic biologic activity, and that microbial communities may be a responsive marker of contaminant stress. A combination of biogeochemical studies and the use of molecular tools can be used to improve our understanding of the fate and effect of heavy metals released to aquatic systems.
海洋沉积物中有毒金属的归宿取决于特定环境中物理、化学和生物条件的综合作用。这些条件在空间和时间上可能会因多种因素而发生显著变化，这些因素包括季节变化、风暴事件以及诸如疏浚或修复工作等人类活动。本文描述了一个旨在评估马萨诸塞州新贝德福德港地区微生物群落与污染物之间相互关系的项目，该地区是美国环境保护局指定的超级基金污染场地。研究重点在于建立污染金属之间的分布关系、沉积物与上覆水体之间的金属通量、微生物多样性对金属的响应变化，以及将微生物群落用作污染物可利用性生物标志物的潜在用途。这项研究表明，底栖生物活动介导了大量金属进入水柱，并且微生物群落可能是污染物胁迫的一个敏感指标。生物地球化学研究与分子工具的结合可用于增进我们对释放到水生系统中的重金属归宿和影响的理解。
