Shell microlaminations of the freshwater bivalveHyridella depressa as an archival monitor of manganese water concentration: Experimental investigation by depth profiling using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS)

Specimens of the freshwater unionid bivalveHyridella depressa were experimentally exposed to a synthetic river water containing an elevated Mn water concentration (20 mg l−1) for 2 or 6 days. SIMS depth profiles through the incremental nacre microlaminations or tablets (∼0.6 μm breadth) of the shells of these bivalves showed increases in the signal intensity of Ca-normalised Mn that corresponded to the period of exposure. These results support the proposition that bivalve shells can be used as retrospective monitors of water chemistry. They also indicate that 1) there is a lag phase between exposure to the elevated Mn water concentration and its expression in the shell, and 2) the period for Mn in the shell to reach equilibrium with the aquatic medium is greater that 2 to 6 days.