Journal of Environmental Biology

Partitioning of heavy metals in different environmental and biotic components in the coastal waters of the Straits of Malacca, Peninsular Malaysia

F. Md. Yusoff^1,2, H.M.M. Peralta³, M. Shariff⁴ and S. Safura⁵ ? 

¹International Institute of Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, University Putra Malaysia, Port Dickson 71050, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

²Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

³Freshwater Aquaculture Center ? College of Fisheries, Central Luzon State University, 3120 Science City of Mu?oz,? Nueva Ecija, Philippines

⁴Aquatic Animal Health Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

⁵Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

*Corresponding Author Email : fatimamy@upm.edu.my

Paper received: 16.01.2020 ?????? ???????????????????????????????????????Revised received: 17.03.2020 ???????????? ????????????????????????????????Accepted: 14.08.2020

Abstract

Aim: Heavy metal contents in copepods, waters and sediments from an unpolluted Gula estuary, off a mangrove area in Perak (0455.185'N, 10027.761'E), were compared with those from a polluted Juru estuary, off an industrial area in Penang (05 19.906'N, 100 22.949'E), Peninsular Malaysia.

Methodology: Triplicate composite water, copepod and sediment samples were collected for a period of one year at one-month interval from three permanent stations in the coastal waters off a mangrove forest in Gula estuary, and near an industrial area in Juru estuary.

Results: Copepods and sediments from Juru estuary contained significantly higher (p<.05) concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd compared to those from Gula estuary. In fact, these heavy metal concentrations were also significantly higher (p<0.05) in the water columns of Juru estuary than in Gula coastal waters.? According to Pearson correlation coefficient analysis, significant correlations (p<0.05) were observed between? heavy metal contents in copepods and sediments (Zn, r = 0.664; Cu, r = 0.603; Pb, r = 0.568; Cd, r = 0.501), but no significant correlation (p>0.05) was noted between heavy metal concentrations in water and copepods in both estuaries.

Interpretation: The concentration of heavy metals in sediments and copepods were relatively more stable than those in the water column, indicating that copepods and sediments could serve as more useful and reliable markers for environmental monitoring than seawater.

Key words: Coastal waters, Heavy metals, Industrial area, Mangrove forest, Marine copepod, Sediment?

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