The Possibility of Using the Fresh Water Bivalve , Spathopsis Rubens , in The Nile River , El Mahmoudia Water Stream As Bioindicator For Pollution

Bivalves are used as bioindicators of heavy metals pollution because they are known to concentrate these elements, providing a time integrated indication of environmental contamination. Trace metals can reach high concentrations in sediments and also in aquatic organisms by bioaccumulation through the food chain. Six heavy metals (Hg, Zn, Pb, Fe, Mg and Cu) were collected and investigated from Abu Hummus, El Behara. The concentration of Hg was high in winter as 2.3μg/g in sediment. The Zn concentration was high in summer in sediment as 8.1μg/g. The Pb concentration was high in winter in water as 3.3μg/l. The concentration of Fe in sediment was high in summer as 492 μg/g. The concentration of Mg was high in sediment as 408μg/g. The concentration of Cu was high in summer in sediment as 301μg/g. The mean concentrations of Fe in the present study are within the permissible limits of law 48/1982 (<1 mg/l) and the guideline of (WHO, 1993) which is <1 mg/l. The mean concentration level of copper is within the permissible limits of law 48/1982 (<1.0 mg/l). The mean levels of the heavy metals (Hg, Zn, Pb, Fe, Mg and Cu) detected in the present study in the water stream are less than the permissible limits recommended by (USEPA, 2005). In the present study there is a significance between all seasons in the protein content in the soft tissue of Spathopsis rubens as the mean concentration level in Spring was reported as 102.83mg/g which is higher then that of autumn 100.5mg/g, summer 93.33 mg/ g and winter 80.50 mg/g. In the present study the mean activity level of GPx in spring was higher than the other seasons such as spring 31.33u/g ˃ summer 28.33 u/g ˃Autumn 26.67 u/g ˃ winter 20.50u/g. The mean activity level of SOD in summer was higher than the other seasons such as summer 38.83 u/g ˃ spring 33.33 U /g ˃Autumn 28.83U/g ˃ winter 22.83U/g. The mean activity level of CAT in spring was higher than the other seasons such as spring 25.67u/g ˃ summer and autumn19.83u/g ˃ winter 15.17u/g. The mean activity level of MDA in winter was 30.50 U/g ˃ summer 22.50U/g ˃ autumn 18.0 U/g ˃ spring 16.83U/g. In the present study it was found that the mean activity level of MDA increased in winter at the same time the mean activity level of CAT, SOD and GPx were decreased in winter. Negative correlation was reported between CAT and Hg in winter as r=-0.88*. A positive correlation coefficient in winter was found between SOD activity level and CAT activity level as r=0.838*. DOI: Coming Soon Freely Available Online www.openaccesspub.org IJLI CC-license DOI: Coming Soon Vol-1 Issue -1 Pg. no.– 2 Introduction The Nile River is a source of life to millions of people. Pollution caused by inadequate drainage systems in rural villages, and irrigation wastewater filled with fertilizers and pesticides. Different analytical methods were constructed to monitor the water quality status in freshwater ecosystems [1]. The Nile River water is facing environmental and public health problems of water pollution which affects water quality and influences the balance of the whole ecosystem [2]. The rapid progress in industry led to the release of heavy metals in the ecosystem and especially the fresh water ecosystem. The accumulation of heavy metals in the Nile River water affects the quality of the water. The iron and steel industry releases lead and zinc into the Nile River. Amer and Abdel Gawad [3] monitored the distribution of heavy metals in the Nile River water and studied the impacts of heavy metals on the water quality. Bakhiet [4] and Ayodele and Abubakar [5] suggested that the study of heavy metal contamination in bivalves is important in order to consider them as bioindicators for heavy metal contamination.The pollutants are carried from the source and tend to sink thereby polluting the aquatic environment. Although information on contaminated regions in the tropical areas are lacking, studies on pollution monitoring in fresh water lakes environment have been reported using different indicator species [6, 5]. Freshwater mollusc communities are important in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem health. They play significant roles in the public and veterinary health and thus need to be scientifically more extensively [7]. A lot of researchers studied the ecology and population dynamics of the gastropods which play an important role in the health of man and his livestock [8]. Ali [9] illustrated that molluscs are suitable candidates to be used in biomonitoring surveys of Lake Qarun in Egypt. Freshwater bivalves provide many ecological services to aquatic systems [10, 11]. Large invertebrates can be considered metabolic reactors because they transfer nutrients and energy from water to sediments by filtering and nutrient mineralization [10, 12]. The study on mollusk as a possible bioindicator of river water quality is because of the fact that they have the ability to concentrate pollutants as they are filter feeders [13]. Industrial effluents contributing to aquatic pollution contain toxic substances which include heavy metals. Indiscriminate discharges of these wastes alter the quality of water and cause hazards to the fauna. Copper is a micro-nutrient and is present as a metal ion in certain enzymes and plays an important role in the transfer of electrons in electron transport chain. It is a component of haemocyanin. There is an increased body of evidence implicating heavy metals as a potential threat to aquatic organism by way of studies on their physiology, biochemistry and ecology. Marine organisms are characterized by a greater spatial ability to accumulate some metals [14]. Marine organisms are characterized by a greater spatial ability to accumulate some metals when compared with bottom sediments [15]. The shellfish represents an important source of protein for coastal communities. Over 90% of human health exposure to several contaminants occurs through diet primarily seafood [16, 17]. In order to evaluate the adverse effect of the pollutants on aquatic organisms, there is a world wide trend to complement physical and chemical parameter with biomarkers in Corresponding Author: E H Radwan, Faculty of Science, Damanhour University, Egypt, Email: dr_eman_hashem@yahoo.com


Introduction
The Nile River is a source of life to millions of people. Pollution caused by inadequate drainage systems in rural villages, and irrigation wastewater filled with fertilizers and pesticides. Different analytical methods were constructed to monitor the water quality status in freshwater ecosystems [1]. The Nile River water is facing environmental and public health problems of water pollution which affects water quality and influences the balance of the whole ecosystem [2].
The rapid progress in industry led to the release of heavy metals in the ecosystem and especially the fresh water ecosystem. The accumulation of heavy metals in the Nile River water affects the quality of the water. The iron and steel industry releases lead and zinc into the Nile River. Amer and Abdel Gawad [3] monitored the distribution of heavy metals in the Nile River water and studied the impacts of heavy metals on the water quality. Bakhiet [4] and Ayodele and Abubakar [5] suggested that the study of heavy metal contamination in bivalves is important in order to consider them as bioindicators for heavy metal contamination.The pollutants are carried from the source and tend to sink thereby polluting the aquatic environment. Although information on contaminated regions in the tropical areas are lacking, studies on pollution monitoring in fresh water lakes environment have been reported using different indicator species [6,5]. Freshwater mollusc communities are important in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem health. They play significant roles in the public and veterinary health and thus need to be scientifically more extensively [7].
A lot of researchers studied the ecology and population dynamics of the gastropods which play an important role in the health of man and his livestock [8].
Ali [9] illustrated that molluscs are suitable candidates to be used in biomonitoring surveys of Lake Qarun in Egypt. Freshwater bivalves provide many ecological services to aquatic systems [10,11]. Large invertebrates can be considered metabolic reactors because they transfer nutrients and energy from water to sediments by filtering and nutrient mineralization [10,12]. The study on mollusk as a possible bioindicator of river water quality is because of the fact that they have the ability to concentrate pollutants as they are filter feeders [13].
Industrial effluents contributing to aquatic pollution contain toxic substances which include heavy metals.
Indiscriminate discharges of these wastes alter the quality of water and cause hazards to the fauna. Copper is a micro-nutrient and is present as a metal ion in certain enzymes and plays an important role in the transfer of electrons in electron transport chain. It is a component of haemocyanin. There is an increased body of evidence implicating heavy metals as a potential threat to aquatic organism by way of studies on their physiology, biochemistry and ecology. Marine organisms are characterized by a greater spatial ability to accumulate some metals [14]. Marine organisms are characterized by a greater spatial ability to accumulate some metals when compared with bottom sediments [15]. The shellfish represents an important source of protein for coastal communities. Over 90% of human health exposure to several contaminants occurs through diet primarily seafood [16,17].

Material and Methods
In December 2016 to July 2017 the selected bivales were collected from Abu Hummus, River Nile, El Beheira Egypt ( Figure.1). The shell sizes of the detected samples were ranging from (10-15 cm) in length, from (6-9 cm) in width and from (2.6 to 4.5 cm) in height.
The sediment and water samples were collected in corresponding to the clam settlements to determine the initial level of heavy metals.  Figure. 2) in the present study.  The mean concentration level of Hg was higher in winter in sediment as 2.3µg/g than in water and in tissue.

Bivalve
The mean concentration level of Zn was higher in summer in sediment as 8.1 than in water and tissue.
The mean concentration level of Pb was higher in winter in water as 3.3µg/g than in sediment and tissue. The mean concentration level of Fe was higher in summer as 492µg/g than in winter and tissue. The Mg concentrations were higher in sediment as 408µg/g than in water and tissue. The Cu concentrations were higher in summer in sediment as 301µg/g than in water and tissue.

Discussion
In the present study Spathopsis rubens was collected from El Beheira, Egypt, Abu Hummus. These