HedouinL.auteurautBustamanteP.auteurautChurlaudC.auteurautPringaultOlivierauteurautIRDFichezRenaudauteurautIRDWarnauM.auteurauttextjournalArticletext/pdfborn digitalaccessThe concentrations of nine elements (Ag, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn) were measured in the oyster Isognomon isognomon and the edible clam Gafrarium tumidum from different sites along the SW New Caledonian coast which is subjected to important chemical inputs due to intense land-based mining activities (New Caledonia is the third world producer of nickel). Results indicate that concentrations in the two organisms mirrored the geographical differences in contamination levels as established through element analyses in sediment. On the basis of organism analyses, two out of the seven investigated stations can be considered as relative "reference" sites, except for As, for which very high levels were detected in clam and oyster tissues (up to 441 mu g g(-1) dry wt for clams). Overall, our results indicate that both tropical organisms investigated could be used as valuable bioindicator species for surveying metal contamination in the coastal waters of New Caledonia with reasonable perspectives of wider application to other coral reef environments.specializedTropical environmentMetalsBioindicatorsMining activities036 72237238120090147-6513http://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:01004412610.1016/j.ecoenv.2008.04.004IRD BondyF B010044126 ; N FDO-020018366http://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010044126http://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2008/12/010044126.pdfAccès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD)IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes2009-01-092010-08-19fdi:010044126fre