چكيده لاتين :
Heavy metals in the aquatic environment have to date originated fundamentally from
naturally occurring geochemical resources. Nonetheless, this has been enhanced by anthropogenic
activities resulting in pollution. Consequently, relat ionships and partitioning ofheavy metals in the
dissolved phase, suspended particulate matter (SPM), sediments and shrimp (Macrobrachium
felicinum) were investigated in five selected sites along Taylor creek, southern Nigeria. The degree
ofrelationships between the various metals was dissimilar in each ofthe investigated matrices. In
the matrices studied, not several significant relationships (P<0.05) were obtained. Only Ni-Cd (r=O.95),
Mn-Cd (r=O.63), Mn-Ni (r=O.64) were associated in the sediments and in SPM, Zn-Ni (r=O.72), which
suggests that the sources were not common for both matrices. In the dissolved phase, no strong
relationships (P<0.05) between the heavy metals were obvious. The best relationships were observed
for Ni-Zn (r=O.72) and Cd-Pb (r=0.65). Partitioning coefficients(Kd
) ofheavy metals between dissolved
phase and SPM were generally low, which is typical for fresh water ecosystems and fairly stable over
the creek all through the seasons. Furthermore, the bio-concentration factors (BCFs) of
Macrobrachium felicinum were low unlike those ofother natural waters. Thus, the physical state of
the aquatic ecosystem points to the fact that the heavy metals bio-accumulated by Macrobrachium
felicinum give cause for concern when viewed in perspective to community health issues, as the
commun ities along the creek depend directly on shrimps as a protein source.
