Availability, Accumulation and Elimination of Cadmium by Artemia urmiana in Different Salinities

The effect of salinity on cadmium uptake and elimination by brine shrimp Artemia urmiana which lives only in Urumieh Lake, Iran, was studied for the first time. Brine Shrimp were acclimated to different salinities and exposed to the metal in solution at differing salinities and composition. Experimental salinities ranged from 50 to 125 gL and the concentrations for cadmium added to the solution were 20 and 5 mg/L. At first, bioaccumulations of Cd (5, 10, 15 and 20 mg/L Cd) were measured on day 1, 5, 11 and 17 of life. The results showed that, accumulation of cadmium in A. urmiana, depends upon the concentration of cadmium in the environment and increased with time. It also increased with the concentration of Cd in the environment. Maximum accumulation of Cd (0.748 mg kg -1) was observed with 20 mg/L Cd and on the 11 day of life of Artemia. Within each acclimation group, the cadmium uptake decreased with increasing exposure to salinity. To study cadmium elimination, samples were taking at 0, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h. Results showed that, Artemia urmiana has the ability to accumulate and eliminate cadmium. Accumulation and also elimination of Cd by Artemia urmiana in 20 mg/L Cd were higher than in 5 mg/L Cd in all studied salinities. The cadmium accumulation pattern which seems well conserved in Artemia is characterized by a fast elimination of the metal.