Trace Metals in San Francisco Bay Clams

The clams Potamocorbula amurensis and Corbicula fluminea were collected at a variety of sites in the San Francisco Bay/ Delta beginning July 1990 and ending February 2010. Both clams are invasive species in the San Francisco Bay/Delta and were used as biosentinels of the fate, transport, and effects of trace metals in the San Francisco Bay ecosystem. The trace metals analyzed were silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn). The two species were found together at three sites (2.1, 4.1, and MTZ006).