Composition minérale des écailles du Catostomus commersoni issu de deux milieux différents: étude par microscopie électronique analytique

Abstract

The mineral content of scales, metals only, was studied. Fish of the Catostomus commersoni subspecies were used, taken from a healthy environment, (the Manicouagan River) and an environment polluted by, among other substances, various metals (Rivière des Prairies, near Montréal). X-ray microspectrometry was combined with electron microprobe scanning techniques, with subsequent microdensitometric scanning. Scales contained, in addition to the highly predominant calcium, the following: Na, Mg, Al, K, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Ba, as well as some Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Sr, Ag, Cd, Cs, Hg, and Pb. All metals were between the circuli in the osteoid structures. The latter category of metals, widely known for their toxicity, were more abundant in the scales of the sample from polluted waters, whereas the reverse was true for the other metals, with the exception of Al and Ba, which were found in equal quantities in both samples. If the difference in content of the scales taken from fish of the two different environments is seen in relation with the fact that the toxic metals are more abundant in polluted waters and the fact that there is the possibility that excess metal from the water can replace calcium in the scales, we may infer that the mineral content of scales is related at least in part to that of the surrounding aquatic environment.