Assessment of the fitness of the mussel <i>Mytilus galloprovincialis</i> two years after the <i>Hebei Spirit</i> oil spill

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>In December 2007, >150km of the West coast of Korea were heavily polluted by crude oil leaked from the oil tanker <I>Hebei Spirit</I>, leading to mass mortality of bivalve mollusks on the intertidal areas. Two years after, mussels <I>Mytilus galloprovincialis</I> were collected from two impacted sites to investigate sub-lethal effects of the oil spill. Tissue content in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), hemocyte parameters, reproductive status and energetic reserves were analyzed. PAHs in tissues of mussels as well as hemocyte parameters were not different between impacted and control sites. Energetic reserves were altered in mussels from the impacted sites. Glycogen content remained low at polluted sites, whatever the season. Two years after the <I>Hebei Spirit</I> oil spill, mussels then presented altered energetic metabolism. Further investigations are thus warranted to monitor the sustainability of mussel populations on the oil spilled West coast of Korea.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Fitness of mussels was assessed two years after the <I>Hebei spirit</I> oil spill. </LI> <LI> Hemocyte parameters are similar to control. </LI> <LI> Mussels present altered energetic metabolisms. </LI> <LI> Altered fitness of mussels may threaten the sustainability of the populations. </LI> </UL> </P>