High-resolution trace element profiles in shells of the mangrove bivalve Isognomon ephippium: a record of environmental spatio-temporal variations?

Abstract The shell chemistry of Isognomon ephippium from three Kenyan sites (Tudor, Gazi and Mida) has been investigated to determine whether these bivalves record environmental parameters. The Mg, Sr, Ba and Mn distributions in the calcite shell layer were determined by using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). In addition, whole-shell analyses were made to evaluate inter-site differences. While some variability is observed for mean Mg concentrations, the mean Sr concentrations were similar for the three sites. The decreasing mean Ba and Mn concentrations, following the order Tudor > Gazi > Mida, are related to distinct regimes of freshwater and nutrient supply. The Mg profiles, determined by LA-ICP-MS, displayed a close to regular sinusoidal pattern, depending on specimen and sample site. For the Tudor shells, an arbitrary fitting of the Mg profiles to sea-surface temperature (SST) variations emphasised the good relationship between these two parameters and allowed for the calculation of mean annual growth rates. In most of the shells, Sr partly co-varied with Mg and Ba, highlighting the complexity of Sr incorporation. The Ba and Mn profiles of the Tudor shells displayed several sharp maxima. With a time scale deduced from the Mg–SST relationship, the Ba and Mn maxima of the Tudor shells closely followed periods of maximal rainfall associated with the southeast monsoon. These Ba and Mn maxima were tentatively associated with algal bloom events known to succeed these periods of high rainfall. The less clearly marked seasonality of the Ba and Mn maxima for the Gazi and Mida specimens is thought to result from weaker seasonal variations in nutrient supply and reduced nutrients inputs. This study highlights the potential of I. ephippium as a recorder of spatio-temporal environmental variations in tropical coastal ecosystems.

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