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Mangroves have been observed to possess a tolerance to high levels of heavy metals, yet accumulated metals may induce subcellular biochemical changes, which can impact on processes at the organism level. Six month-old seedlings of the grey mangrove, Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh, were exposed to a range of Cu (0-800 micrograms/g), Pb (0-800 micrograms/g) and Zn (0-1000 micrograms/g) concentrations in sediments under laboratory conditions, to determine leaf tissue metal accumulation patterns, effects on photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids), and the activity of the antioxidant enzyme peroxidase. Limited Cu uptake to leaves was observed at low sediment Cu levels, with saturation and visible toxicity to Cu at sediment levels greater than 400 micrograms/g. Leaf Pb concentrations remained low over a range of Pb sediment concentrations, up to 400 micrograms/g Pb, above which it appeared that unrestricted transport of Pb occurred, although no visible signs of Pb toxicity were observed. Zn was accumulated linearly with sediment zinc concentration, and visible toxicity occurring at the highest concentration, 1000 micrograms/g Zn. Significant increases in peroxidase activity and decreases in photopigments were found with Cu and Zn at concentrations lower than those inducing visible toxicity. Significant increases in peroxidase activity only, were found when plants were exposed to Pb. Positive linear relationships between peroxidase activity and leaf tissue metal concentrations were found for all metals. Significant linear decreases in photosynthetic pigments with increasing leaf tissue metal concentrations were observed with Cu and Zn only. Photosynthetic pigments and peroxidase activity may be applicable as sensitive biological indicators of Cu and Zn stress, and peroxidase activity for Pb stress in A. marina.

Macrobenthic community assemblage diversity and abundance were monitored on both Cowan and Berowra Creeks in the estuarine reaches of the Hawkesbury River, Sydney Australia during 1997-1998. Natural sediment physicochemical differences were assessed, along with low-level anthropogenic contaminants including copper, lead, zinc, phosphorus and nitrogen. Contaminant levels at all sites were below sediment guideline values for biological effects. Natural physicochemical sediment differences were the main determinants in species assemblage patterns among sites. Three groupings of sites with similar assemblages were observed during February 1998. Berowra Creek sites, which were higher in organic content and silt/clay (and thus metals and nutrients), higher in pH and lower in salinity, were similar in terms of contributions by the polychaetes Ceratoneresis aequisetis, Scoloplos normalis, the isopod Cyathura hakea and the bivalve mollusc Soletellina alba. Sites on upper Cowan Creek, higher in organic content, silt/clay (nutrients and metals) and lower in salinity, were similar and separated from other sites in terms of the polychaete Carazziella victoriensis and the gastropod mollusc Nassarius jonasii. Sites lower in Cowan Creek, tended to be higher in sand content, more saline and lower in organic content and thus nutrient and metal concentrations. These sites were similar in terms of contributions of the polychaete Sigalion bandaensis and the bivalve molluscs, Mysella vitrea and Tellina deltoidalis. The biotic assemblage patterns were not maintained temporally, suggesting the importance of monitoring over time to assess possible future impacts. Aggregating species data to the family level resulted in similar site discrimination. Site differences were less distinct at higher taxonomic levels and suggests future monitoring at the family level is sufficient to detect assemblage differences among sites. The results obtained represent the difficulty in detecting responses to low-level contamination at the community level, and provide a sound anticipatory baseline for the assessment of future possible anthropogenic disturbance in the Hawkesbury River.

Although alterations at the organism level in decapod crustaceans on exposure to heavy metals have been evidenced in the laboratory, little examination of metal effects on morphology and population parameters have been explored in a field-based situation. Relationships between morphological parameters, population demography and heavy metal sediment loadings were examined in conjunction with the accumulation of metals in the Semaphore crab, Heloecius cordiformis, in the Port Jackson and Hawkesbury River estuaries, Sydney, Australia. H. cordiformis exhibited sexual dimorphism, with males having larger carapace width, carapace length, chelae length and total mass than females. Sexes were subsequently treated separately to assess morphological differences among locations. Locations that had greater proportions of females with purple chelae and less females in the population tended to have higher sediment metal levels. These relationships were maintained over time, and could be employed as population-level biological indicators of heavy metal stress. Copper and zinc were regulated in the hepatopancreas of H. cordiformis. Lead was accumulated in the hepatopancreas of H. cordiformis in proportion to sediment lead levels, suggesting the species is both an appropriate candidate for bio-indication of lead pollution, and Pb is the main metal linked with population level differences. Accumulation of lead varied between sexes, indicating that sexes must be monitored separately. Smaller males accumulated more lead than larger males, suggesting size is an important consideration for lead accumulation.

The distribution and excretion of Cu, Pb and Zn in the root and leaf tissue of the grey mangrove, Avicennia marina was studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM) X-ray microanalysis and atomic absorption spectroscopy. SEM X-ray microanalysis of nutritive root tissue in seedlings dosed with 4 g/l Cu, Pb and Zn revealed accumulation of all metals predominantly in cell walls. The root epidermis provided a major barrier to the transport of Pb only. The endodermal casparian strip was shown to provide a barrier to movement of all three metals into the stele. Washings from mature leaves contained significantly higher amounts of Zn and Cu than control plants after 1 month, suggesting excretion of both metals from the glandular trichomes. In addition, salt crystals exuded from the glands on the adaxial surface of mature leaves were composed of alkaline metals: Zn in Zn-treated plants, and Cu in Cu-treated plants. Leaf tissue in seedlings dosed with 4 g/l Zn showed a decreasing gradient of the metal from xylem tissue, through photosynthetic mesophyll, to hypodermal (water) tissue, with a subsequent increase in concentration in the glandular tissue. A similar gradient was observed across leaf tissue in seedlings dosed with 4 g/l Cu, however, there was no subsequent increase in Cu concentration in glandular tissue. For both metals leaf cell wall metal concentrations were consistently higher than intracellular concentrations.

The New South Wales Olympic Co-ordination Authority, which is responsible for the redevelopment of the site for the Olympic Games 2000, Sydney, is committed to the rehabilitation of the remnant ecosystems remaining on the site. This paper describes a 3-year saltmarsh transplantation project, and resulting management approaches for the rehabilitation of other saline wetland areas on the site. Two series of cuttings (spring and autumn) were made, including three dominant species and three species rare in Sydney. It was found that all the species could be propagated without difficulty, but field survival and growth were much higher for the spring series than the autumn one. Measurement was also made of the colonisation of mangrove and saltmarsh species that occurred at the site over the course of the trials. New understandings of estuarine wetland colonisation have emerged, and the information has been used to develop methods of transplantation for other parts of the Olympic site, and to define management needs for monitoring success.

The Homebush Bay area, Sydney, site of the Olympic Games 2000, has been largely occupied for nearly a century by an abattoir, brickworks, armaments depot and waste dumps. However, it contains remnants of original ecosystems, including two estuarine wetlands, and the Olympic Co-ordination Authority (OCA), set up to manage the redevelopment of the site, is committed to the rehabilitation of these ecosystems. The ecological approaches and rehabilitation measures used for one of the wetlands are detailed. Apart from a history of disturbance, it has for 10 years been without tidal flushing. However, these wetlands are the largest remaining in the Sydney estuary, and are significant for a number of reasons including biodiversity and waterbird conservation. The ecological parameters of the site, the results of a `before-restoration-impact' study, and the iterative links between science and management in the introduction of the rehabilitation measures, are presented. Criteria for success are discussed, along with biomonitoring strategies to test success.

Mangroves are important as primary producers in estuarine food chains. Zinc is often a major anthropogenic contaminant in estuarine ecosystems and has potential ecotoxicological consequences for mangrove communities. Accumulation, distribution and excretion of zinc in the leaf tissue of the grey mangrove, Avicennia marina was studied using SEM X-ray microanalysis and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. The first leaves of A. marina grown in 500 μg Zn as ZnCl 2 per g of dry soil were found to accumulate 106.3±18.5 μg Zn per g dry tissue, significantly higher than control plants, after a 7-month period. Washings from first leaves contained significantly higher amounts of zinc (0.30±0.14 μg/cm 2 Zn) than control plants after 1 month, suggesting excretion of zinc from glandular trichomes. SEM X-ray microanalysis revealed salt crystals exuded from glandular tissue on the adaxial surface of first leaves to be composed of alkaline metals and zinc in zinc treated plants. SEM X-ray microanalysis of seedlings dosed with 4 g/l Zn as Zn Cl 2 revealed a decreasing Zn gradient from xylem tissue, through photosynthetic mesophyll, to hypodermal (water) tissue. A subsequent increase in Zn concentration was observed in glandular tissue. Cell wall Zn concentrations were consistently higher than intracellular Zn concentrations.

The ability of animals to act in a bioremediative capacity is not widely known. Animals are rarely considered for bioremediation initiatives due largely to ethical or human health concerns. Nonetheless, specific examples in the literature reveal that many aquatic species, including species employed in aquaculture, are effective remediators of metals, microbial contaminants, hydrocarbons, nutrients and persistent organic pollutants. We introduce zoological equivalents of the definitions used in the phytoremediation literature (zooextraction, zootransformation, zoostabilisation and animal hyperaccumulation), to serve as useful benchmarks in the evaluation of candidate animal species for zooremediation initiatives. Further, we present a case study assessing the deployment of pearl oysters to remove metals and nutrients from aquatic ecosystems.

We report the findings of a comparative analysis examining patterns of accumulation and partitioning of the heavy metals copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in mangroves from available field-based studies to date, employing both species level analyses and a phylogenetic approach. Despite mangroves being a taxonomically diverse group, metal accumulation and partitioning for all metals examined were broadly similar across genera and families. Patterns of metal accumulation were also similar regardless of whether species were classified as salt secreting or non-secreting. Metals were accumulated in roots to concentrations similar to those of adjacent sediments with root bio-concentration factors (BCF; ratio of root metal to sediment metal concentration) of ⩽1. Root BCFs were constant across the exposure range for all metals. Metal concentrations in leaves were half that of roots or lower. Essential metals (Cu and Zn; translocation factors (TF; ratio of leaf metal to root metal concentration) of 0.52 and 0.53, and leaf BCFs of 0.47 and 0.51, respectively) showed greater mobility than non-essential metals (Pb; TF of 0.31 and leaf BCF of 0.11). Leaf BCFs for the essential metals Cu and Zn decreased as environmental concentrations increased. The non-essential metal Pb was excluded from leaf tissue regardless of environmental concentrations. Thus mangroves as a group tend to operate as excluder species for non-essential metals and regulators of essential metals. For phytoremediation initiatives, mangrove ecosystems are perhaps best employed as phytostabilisers, potentially aiding in the retention of toxic metals and thereby reducing transport to adjacent estuarine and marine systems.

The capacity of the Australian native fern Pteris umbrosa to function as an arsenic (As) hyperaccumulator (shoot:soil As concentration >1) was examined by growing plants under glasshouse conditions in an inert medium supplemented with As. Arsenic preferentially accumulated in the fronds, a trait of a hyperaccumulator. The As concentration of fronds decreased with age, being particularly high in the croziers and low in the senesced fronds. Below ground, rhizomes accumulated more As than adventitious roots. Uptake from a range of solution concentrations followed Michaelis Menten kinetics up to a soil solution As concentration of 400 mg l−1. The Km for As uptake by roots suggested the operation of a low-affinity carrier. The predicted Nernst membrane potential indicated that uptake was against the electrochemical gradient of As. At 600 mg l−1, the rate of As uptake increased and phytotoxic effects were indicated by a significant decline in biomass. Arsenic uptake and translocation in P. umbrosa and Pteris vittata were similar at low exposure to As. At higher exposure, As uptake and translocation by P. vittata increased more than in P. umbrosa. The growth rate of both ferns was similar, whereas the biomass distribution was not, with P. vittata having a much larger root mass. This suggests that As uptake by P. umbrosa roots was very efficient and may be improved by stimulating root growth to enhance its potential.

The use of pearl oysters has recently been proposed as an environmental remediation tool in coastal ecosystems. This study quantified the nitrogen, phosphorus and heavy metal content of the tissue and shell of pearl oysters harvested from a small pearl oyster farm at Port Stephens, Australia. Each tonne of pearl oyster material harvested resulted in approximately 703 g metals, 7452 g nitrogen, and 545 g phosphorus being removed from the waters of Port Stephens. Increasing current farm production of 9.8 tyr(-1) to 499 tyr(-1) would balance current nitrogen loads entering Port Stephens from a small Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) located on its southern shores. Furthermore, manipulation of harvest dates to coincide with oyster condition would likely remove substantially greater quantities of nutrients. This study demonstrates that pearl aquaculture may be used to assist in the removal of pollutants from coastal waters while producing a commercially profitable commodity.

Surveys conducted after a crude oil spill indicated that the intertidal gastropod mollusc Austrocochlea porcata may be highly sensitive to the pollutant, and therefore also valuable as a biomonitoring organism. Toxicity tests conducted in the laboratory and field established cause-effect for A. porcata mortalities on exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of crude oil constituents. Glutathione antioxidant system components (glutathione and glutathione peroxidase, GPx) and oxidative damage (lipid peroxidation) in A. porcata were measured to determine whether any of these biochemical parameters showed potential as biomarkers of sublethal oil exposure. GPx was the most promising candidate for field-based biomarker studies after showing a dose-dependent induction to a crude oil water accommodated fraction (WAF) in laboratory assays. However, subsequent manipulative field experimentation indicated that the GPx response was not sufficiently sensitive and not necessarily predictive of population level effects when measured in situ.

The accumulative partitioning of the heavy metals Cu, Pb and Zn in the grey mangrove, Avicennia marina, were studied under field conditions. Copper and Pb were accumulated in root tissue to levels higher than surrounding sediment levels. Zinc was accumulated to levels reflecting sediment concentrations. Strong linear relationships existed for all metals in sediments with metals in root tissue. Accumulation of Cu in leaf tissue followed a linear relationship at lower sediment concentrations, with an exclusion or saturation mechanism at higher sediment concentrations. Lead showed little mobility to leaf tissue. Zn showed restricted accumulation in leaf tissue, which correlated with sediment concentrations. Decreases in sediment pH were found to increase Zn accumulation to root tissue. Increasing concentrations of Pb and Zn in sediments resulted in a greater accumulation of Pb to both root and leaf tissue. A. marina roots may be employed as a biological indicator of environmental exposure of Cu, Pb and Zn and leaves for Zn, with temporal monitoring. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effects of three heavy metals Copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn), and the interaction of an essential (Zn) and non-essential (Pb) metal on germination, growth, and accumulation of metals in the grey mangrove, Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh var. australasica (Walp.) Moldenke, were studied under laboratory conditions. Avicennia marina was found to be highly tolerant to the metals applied. Copper was accumulated in root tissue in a linear relationship at lower sediment concentrations, but at concentrations of 200 microg/g and higher, no further increases in root Cu levels occurred. Translocation of Cu from the root to leaf tissue was low, yet revealed similar accumulation patterns as root tissue. Significant reductions in seedling height leaf number and area were found with significant increases in Cu concentrations in tissues at 100 microg/g sediment Cu. At Cu sediment levels of 400 microg/g, a decrease in total biomass and root growth inhibition was observed. Emergence was retarded with increasing copper concentration, with 800 microg/g sediment Cu resulting in a total inhibition of emergence. The LC50 for emergence and EC50 for biomass was 566 and 380 microg/g Cu respectively. Lead accumulation in root tissue was lower that other metals, yet increased in a dose dependant fashion across the sediment Pb concentration range examined. Lead was excluded from leaf tissue at Pb sediment concentrations up to 400 microg/g, above which limited transport of Pb occurred. Little negative effects on growth were observed due to the low accumulation of Pb. Zinc uptake was high, and was accumulated in a linear fashion in root tissue across the sediment Zn concentration range applied. Zinc translocation to leaf tissue exhibited a dose dependant relationship with both root and sediment Zn levels. Emergence decreased with increasing sediment Zn concentrations, with 1000 microg/g sediment Zn showing 100% mortality. Significant reductions in seedling height, leaf number, area, biomass and root growth inhibition were found at concentrations of 500 microg/g sediment Zn. The LC50 for emergence and EC50 for biomass was 580 and 392 microg/g Zn respectively. Lead and Zn in combination resulted in an increased accumulation of both metals in leaf tissue and increased toxicity than individual metals alone, and is the first noted occurrence of a Pb and Zn additive response in angiosperms. Possible mechanisms of accumulation and toxicity are discussed.

Saltmarsh restoration projects often require the creation of saltmarsh habitat on previously non-tidal areas through excavation of overburden to provide a substrate at an appropriate level within the tidal plane. Such sites may then be covered with topsoil and/or planted with target saltmarsh plant species. However, few such projects in saltmarsh establishment are designed in a way and/or monitored in a manner that would allow for the collection of data that may assess efficacy to guide future restoration projects. A small saltmarsh restoration project in Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, incorporated an experimental design that sought to address the questions as to whether topsoil addition and planting are necessary for the effective establishment of saltmarsh vegetation. Two years post saltmarsh establishment, topsoil addition facilitated the growth (in terms of percentage cover) and recruitment of Sarcocornia quinqueflora, though topsoil provided no appreciable benefit for Sporobolus virginicus. It was further shown that while planting assisted growth for Sarcocornia quinqueflora, it was a necessity for the establishment of Sporobolus virginicus within such time frames. Importantly, this study demonstrated the value of incorporating into a wetland restoration projection an experimental design that tests specific hypotheses.

Retrieving burrowing shore crabs to obtain information regarding their morphological attributes is often difficult and results in significant disturbance and habitat modification. A simple, rapid and non-destructive sampling method was proposed for indirectly estimating crab abundance, morphology and mass through the counting of burrow numbers and their diameter. Measurement of the number of crab burrows was found to correlate with crab abundance via both excavation and video observation techniques. Burrow diameters of individuals were also correlated with carapace width and body mass. Measuring burrow opening diameters along with the number of holes allows an indirect estimate of morphology and mass, which increases the information gained through such rapid sampling techniques and allows assessment of both structural and functional processes at the population level which may be affected through anthropogenic disturbance.

The effects of heavy metals Cu, Pb, and Zn on a number of biological structural components of Avicennia dominated mangrove ecosystems is reviews and their potential as biological indicators of metal stress discussed. Three main taxa groups were chosen for examination, representing key structural components of Avicennia systems at different trophic levels. As the primary producer, Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh, the grey mangrove, was studied most intensely. Heloecious cordiformis (Milne Edwards, 1852), the semaphore crab, was chosen as a higher level consumer. A suite of benthic organisms were also studied, representing a range of trophic associations at the community level. Potential biological indicators of metal stress were investigated in each group, at various organisational levels. A combination of laboratory and field based experiments have shown that most biological indicators investigated have merit in terms of reflecting exposure and effect of heavy metal stress in Avicennia systems. Avciennia marina was found to be highly tolerant to Cu, Pb and Zn. Both field and laboratory studies revealed the three metals were accumulated in root tissue in proportion to sediment metal loadings, and Cu and Zn showed some limited mobility to leaf tissue. Zn was the only metal in leaf tissue. Zn was the correlated with sediment loadings. All metals in root tissue and Zn in leaves were appropriate for accumulative indication. In both field and laboratory studies, increases in peroxidase activity and decreases in photopigments (most notably the chlorophyll a/b ratio) were found with increasing Cu and Zn. Significant relationships with peroxide ase activity only, were found for Pb. Both peroxidise activity and photopigment may be employed as sensitive early warning biomarkers of metal stress in A. Marina. For H. Cordiformis, Cu and Zn were regulated in the hepatopancreas. Lead was accumulated in the hepatopancreas in proportion to sediment Pb levels, and Pb was the main metal loadings tended to support lower numbers of crabs, greater proportions of females with purple chelae (rather than orange) and less females in the population, and thus may be employed as population level indicators of metal stress. Monitoring of macrobenthic community assemblage diversity and abundance along with natural variables and low-level anthropogenic contaminnts including Cu, Pb, Zn, revealed no significant pollutant related patterns. Natural physiochemical sediment differences were found to be the main determinants in species assemblage patterns among sites. An integrated approach of both field and laboratory based testing, with a range of species measured at various organisational hierarchies, is most instructive in the assessment of metal impacts on mangrove ecosystems.

The importance of estuarine wetlands to ecosystem services such as primary productivity and flood attenuation, as well as their function as habitat for threatened species has prompted efforts to restore tidal flows to degraded wetlands. We tracked the response of estuarine vegetation to tidal-flow reinstatement over 12 years (1995–2007) in a wetland of the Hunter estuary, Australia. This site provides important habitat for migratory shorebird species, which favour shallow tidal pools and saltmarsh over mangrove forest. Increased tidal flows following culvert removal reduced shorebird roost habitat by 17% because of mangrove encroachment on saltmarsh and shallow tidal pools. Saltmarsh occurred in areas with a spring tidal range 0.4 above the Australian height datum (mAHD), whereas mangrove occupied areas with spring tidal range >0.3 m, hydroperiod