Hyperaccumulation of Elements in Marine Organisms

High accumulaton of iodine by a strawberry conch shell Strombus luhuanus

Strombus luhuanus (gastropoda mollusks) lives in interdial rocky or sand bottom and tide pools in coral reef. Gastopoda mollusks close their aperture using their operculum to make a defence mode when predators approach. But, Strombidae group use their operculum to move on the bottom.

Strombus luhuanus

Operculum of shells

Jaw of polychaeta

Laminaria japonica

Brown algae,Laminaria group show a high level of iodine.Some species of animals often contain a great amount of iodine in certain tissues.

I think that iodine is used to change the properties of protein. Next subject is to identify an amino acid bonding to iodine.

As an example of the high accumulation of non-metallic elements, sulfur is highly accumulated by Calyptogena group (ef. a white clam Calyptogena soyoae)or a tube worm (e.g. Lamellibrachia satsuma). It was found from XAFS analysis that almost all of sulfur in these organisms are an elemental state (0).

｜High accumulation of metals by Bryopsis maxima｜High accumulation of vanadium by a fan worm Pseudopotamilla occelata｜
｜ High accumulation of manganese by a giant clam Tridacna squamosa｜
｜High accumulation of manganese by a marine bivalve Cyclosunetta menstrualis｜High accumulaton of iodine by a strawberry conch shell Strombus luhuanus｜
｜ High accumulation of iron by teeth of mollusks｜High accumulation of metals by an octopus Octopus vulgaris｜

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