Heavy Metal Content in Chilean Fish Related to Habitat Use, Tissue Type and River of Origin

In this study, we analyze the concentration of ten metals in two freshwater fish—the benthic catfish Trichomycterus areolatus and the limnetic silverside Basilichthys microlepidotus —in order to detect possible accumulation differences related to fish habitat (benthic or pelagic), tissue type (gill, liver and muscle), and the river of origin (four different rivers) in central Chile. The MANOVA performed with all variables and metals, revealed independent effects of fish, tissue and river. In the case of the fish factor, Cu, Cr, Mo and Zn showed statistically higher concentrations in catfish compared with silverside for all tissues and in all rivers ( p