LUXAMA, J.; BOYKIN, M.; ROMEO, A.; CARROLL, M.A.; CATAPANE, E.J.; Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn; Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn; Kingsborough Community College, Brooklyn; Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn; Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn: Distribution of Copper in Tissues of Crassostrea virginica

Jamaica Bay (JB), NY contains metals and other pollutants. We showed Crassostrea virginica spats transplanted to JB accumulated copper and other metals, copper reduced gill mitochondrial O₂ utilization in vitro and copper pretreatments heightened this effect. Copper pretreatments also reduced gill glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity and prevented its induction in response to p- nonylphenol, a pollutant, suggesting oysters growing in a copper polluted area may experience physiological difficulties if challenged by organic pollutants requiring detoxification by GST. We are studying distribution of copper in C. virginica spats tissues transplanted to JB and grown 1 year either 1 foot below the surface or 1 foot above the sediment. Tissues were dissected, freeze dried, digested in nitric acid and copper measured using electrothermal vaporization with deuterium lamp background correction in an AA spectrophotometer fitted with a graphite furnace. Copper was distributed in tissues in µg/g amounts, with adductor muscle and shell having very low amounts. The values correlate well with published studies of whole animal copper levels of oysters grown in other polluted areas. Copper distribution is not homogeneous and paradoxically, despite heavy copper contamination of the sediment, oysters grown 1 foot above the sediment accumulated less copper than those grown at the surface.