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Abstract
The commonest species of red, brown, and green macroalgae were sampled from a range
of biotopes in the Aegean Sea and analysed for five different trace metals. Significant
differences in metal concentrations were found among different seaweed species from
the same biotope. The concentrations of metals in the various seaweed species may
reflect their morphology, with those having a larger surface area having a greater
internal content. Different species of seaweed have different affinities for different
heavy metals. This may reflect competition between metals for binding or uptake sites
in the seaweed. Comparing metal concentrations in algae among the studied sampling
stations clearly indicates that the degree of accumulation depends not only on human
activities but also on the geology of the specific area. While seaweed can be used
successfully to assess the levels of heavy metals in the marine environment, not all
elevated concentrations of heavy metals necessarily reflect increased levels of pollution.
Indeed, the high concentrations of certain metals, e.g., Ni, found in our seaweed
samples reflected the metaliferrous nature of the rock. It is therefore important
to take account of a region's geology before attempting to interpret the data.