HEAVY METALS VARIABILITY AND THE
BIOACCUMULATION MECHANISM IN THE RECENT
CORALS, HURGHADA, RED SEA, EGYPT.
MAHMOUD A. DAR
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt.
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Nineteen species belonging to four coral forms of the recent coral reefs were identified and studied in an area of a high sedimentation stress. The trace metal contents were measured in the hard skeleton of the different species. The massive forms recorded the highest content of Cu, Fe, Mn and Ni, while the branching forms recorded the highest content of Pb and Zn, according to their relative abundance. The highest Fe, Mn and Pb contents in the different species are strongly attributed to the landfilling and the different anthropogenic impacts in the locality. The mechanism of the heavy metals bioaccumulation within the structure lattice of the coral skeletons is attributed to the biominerlization process and the residual oxides inside the pore spaces of the coral frameworks.
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