Approach for the Evaluation of Lake Environments using Major to Trace Elements in the Liver of Micropterus salmoides

Abstract

Sixteen major to trace elements (Na, Mg, P, K, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Cd, Pb) in the liver of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) captured at three lakes were determined by ICP-MS and ICP-AES to evaluate largemouth bass as an environmental indicator of lakes and marshes. The concentrations of major to trace elements in largemouth bass liver ranged from 13,100 g g-1 for P to 0.13 g g-1 for Cd and Pb. The concentrations in the livers of largemouth bass samples at Lake Sagami and Lake Shinsei showed that ten elements (Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Cd, and Pb) were different between the two lakes. In addition, six elements (Mn, Fe, Cu, As, Se, and Sr) showed similarities between the lake surface water and largemouth bass liver. A result of a principal-component analysis using the elemental concentrations of 16 major to trace elements in largemouth bass livers for 11 samples at Lake Sagami, for 6 samples at Lake Shinsei, and one sample at Benkeibori moat showed a different tendency. Furthermore, the results using four elements (Fe, As, Rb, and Sr) as indices showed that largemouth bass from each lake could be clearly classified into three groups by plotting in combination with these elements.