Effects of abiotic factors to the accumulation of heavy metals by Corbicula fluminea

Four main abiotic factors which affect the accumulation of heavy metals by Corbicula fluminea along the coastal zone of Yangtze Estuary were analyzed. The results showed that higher temperature did help to accumulate copper, zinc, chromium and nickel by Corbicula fluminica. The effect of salinity to the accumulation of heavy metals was relatively complicated, only showing definite correlation in autumn. The concentration of copper in C. fluminea showed dramatically positive correlation with the particle size of sediment. The concentration of zinc showed definite positive correlation with organic content of sediment, while lead was relative to zinc. The pairwise correlation between heavy metals in C. fluminea was significant. The mechanism of interaction among different heavy metals deserved further investigation.