Study of Cd and Pb Absorption and Filtration Rates in Mytilaster lineatus of the Caspian Sea

Pollutants such as heavy metals are found in the nature in little amount, but their concentrations have increased in aquatic ecosystems e.g. the Caspian Sea due to increasing population and industrialization. Marine invertebrate like bivalves can absorb heavy metals from surrounding environment transferring them to upper level of trophy network. Hence, they can be considered as proper biological indicators to assess heavy metal pollutants because of being sessile and their sensitivity to accumulation. This work was conducted to study filtration rate of Mytilaster lineatus exposed to Cd (62 and 620 µgl-1) and Pb (6.2 and 62 µgl-1) and its ability to remove these metals from water. The experiments were carried out in a designed mesocosm system. The results showed a significant different in filtration rate of M. lineatus exposed Cd and Pb. Mytilaster lineatus revealed a higher filtration rate exposed to Pb concentrations in compare to that of Cd and also can be a proper biological index to assess Cd of aquatic ecosystems.