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Elemental composition of freshwater sponges Drulia uruguayensis and Drulia cristata collected in the Tapajós River
Author(s) -
Barros Iuri Bezerra,
Santos Emily Silva Gomes dos,
Gomes Desirée Emelly Dantas,
VolkmerRibeiro Cecília,
Silva Cláudia Cândida,
Veiga Junior Valdir Florêncio
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
x‐ray spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.447
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1097-4539
pISSN - 0049-8246
DOI - 10.1002/xrs.2430
Subject(s) - bioaccumulation , sponge spicule , environmental chemistry , sponge , biology , chemistry , botany , paleontology
Sponges are aquatic, predominantly marine animals, but are also represented by several families that inhabit freshwater environments. All freshwater sponges are included in the Demospongiae class and so have skeletons composed of silicious spicules. Because they are filter feeders, they have high potential for bioaccumulation of metals, with various implications and applications in environmental chemistry. This study describes the inorganic chemical composition of two Amazonian species of freshwater sponges: Drulla cristata and Drulla uruguayensis , using energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence. In both species, the major constituent was silicon (36.75% and 36.05%, respectively), followed by aluminum. Elements such as sulfur, chlorine, copper, and titanium were selectively accumulated and were detected only in the species D. cristata , suggesting its use in environmental characterization studies. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.