چكيده لاتين :
Trace metals in the aquatic environment have to date come essentially from naturally
occurring geochemical resources. However, this has been enhanced by anthropogenic activities resulting
in pollution. Consequently, correlations and partitioning of trace metals in the dissolved phase,
suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sediments were investigated in five selected sites along the
Taylor Creek, southern Nigeria. The degree ofcorrelations between the various metals was different in
each ofthe investigated matrices. In the matrices studied, not many significant correlations (P<0.05)
were recognized. Only Ni-Cd (r=0.95), Mn-Cd (r=0.63), Mn-Ni (r=O.64)are correlated in the sediments
and in SPM, Fe-Cr (r=0.54) and Zn-Ni (r=O.72), which suggests that the sources are not common for
both matrices. In the dissolved phase, no strong correlations (P<0.05) between the trace metals are
obvious . The best correlations are observed for Ni-Zn (r=O.72) and Cd-Pb (r=0.65). Partitioning
coefficients (Kd
) oftrace metals between dissolved phase and SPM are generally low, which is typical
for fresh water ecosystems and fairly stable over the creek all through the seasons. Thus, the state of
the aquat ic ecosystem indicates that the trace metals, which are bio-accumulatable, could contribute to
inferior biodiversity and shifts in community composition from sensitive to tolerant taxa.