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Ecological status and sources of anthropogenic contaminants in mangroves of the Wouri River Estuary (Cameroon)

Fusi, Marco; Beone, Gian Maria; Suciu, Nicoleta Alina; Sacchi, Angela; Trevisan, Marco; Capri, Ettore; Daffonchio, Daniele; Din, Ndongo; Dahdouh-Guebas, Farid; Cannicci, Stefano

Authors

Marco Fusi

Gian Maria Beone

Nicoleta Alina Suciu

Angela Sacchi

Marco Trevisan

Ettore Capri

Daniele Daffonchio

Ndongo Din

Farid Dahdouh-Guebas

Stefano Cannicci



Abstract

Mangroves are critically threatened by human activities, despite the important ecosystem functions and services they provide. Mangroves in Cameroon represent no exception to the worldwide trend of mangrove destruction, especially around Douala, on the Wouri river estuary. In two sites around Douala, we assessed the presence of sterols, PAHs, PCBs, DEHP, DDT and its metabolite p,p'-DDE and potentially toxic metals in sediment samples. As a proxy of ecological quality, we measured the diversity and abundance of macrobenthos assemblages. We detected p,p'-DDE contamination, with concentrations higher than 3 μg kg− 1 in 16 out of 26 samples which were attributed to recent widespread use of DDT. The detection of sterols revealed faecal contamination. Significant sensitivity of the macrobenthos to contaminants was revealed, with possible implications on the overall mangrove vulnerability to climate change and on the provision of ecosystem services to local populations.

Citation

Fusi, M., Beone, G. M., Suciu, N. A., Sacchi, A., Trevisan, M., Capri, E., Daffonchio, D., Din, N., Dahdouh-Guebas, F., & Cannicci, S. (2016). Ecological status and sources of anthropogenic contaminants in mangroves of the Wouri River Estuary (Cameroon). Marine Pollution Bulletin, 109(2), 723-733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.06.104

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 28, 2016
Online Publication Date Jul 6, 2016
Publication Date Aug 30, 2016
Deposit Date Sep 23, 2019
Publicly Available Date Sep 23, 2019
Journal Marine Pollution Bulletin
Print ISSN 0025-326X
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 109
Issue 2
Pages 723-733
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.06.104
Keywords Mangrove; Contaminants; Macrobenthos; Cameroon; Wouri Estuary; Sediment
Public URL http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1825306

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