Comparative study of vanadium biokinetics in three species of Echinoderms

Vanadium-48 (as vanadate) was used to study the uptake, tissue distribution, depuration and food-chain transfer of vanadium through 3 species of echinoderms: the seastar Marthasterias glacialis L., the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus LmK. and the holothurian Holothuria forskali D.Ch.; all were collected from the littoral zone near Monaco. Food-chain transfer experiments indicated that seastars can assimilate and retain a large fraction of the vanadium ingested with food whereas sea urchins appear to lack this capability. The relative importance of the water and food input pathway in achieving vanadium levels in echinoderms is discussed in light of results of super(48)V distribution in experimental individuals and stable vanadium distribution in samples from natural environment.