Minor and trace elements in the shell of Patella vulgata (L.)

Specimens of the common limpet (Patella vulgata) were collected from each of three sites of high chemical characterisation around the coast of Anglesey, North Wales, UK. The shells were analysed individually for their minor element (Mg, Sr) and trace element (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn) content. Mean concentrations (n = 75) of these elements in the shell of P. vulgata were 3621, 1566, 15.6, 46.1, 2.7 and 3.9 μg g−1, respectively. The elemental concentrations, however, exhibited both a marked intra-and inter-population variability. Principal component analysis applied to the data for individual populations showed the element concentrations in the shell to be controlled by three contemporaneous, but quite different agencies. Despite the variability within individual populations, significant differences in gross element composition were apparent amongst the three populations studied. The environmental availability of elements at the three sites was not reflected in the trace metal concentrations of the shells. The shell of P. vulgata is therefore rejected for potential use in environmental trace metal monitoring.