Heavy Metal Pollution in Reef Corals of Tuticorin Coast,Southeast Coast of India

This work investigates the metal pollution documented in the skeletons of selected coral species like Acropora formosa, Montipora digitata and Porites andrewsi from the Tuticorin Coast, one of the least studied areas in the Bay of Bengal. Relating heavy metal concentrations to morphological features of skeletons, highest concentrations of all the metals (except Cu and Zn) were found in ramose or branching types of corals. Irrespective of their growth characteristics or patterns, all these species displayed higher concentrations of Pb, Ni, Mn, and Cd within the skeletal part. The study area is currently exposed to a larger degree of metal pollution (natural and anthropogenic) than even before, as a result of the increasing environmental contamination from sewage discharges, the misuse of agricultural chemicals and fertilizers, and top soil erosion. The concentrations of heavy metals obtained in the present study are compared with values from earlier works around the world. This study indicates that corals are vulnerable to the accumulation of high concentrations of heavy metals in their skeletons and therefore can serve as proxies to monitor environmental pollution.