Abstract: Based on the measurements of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and As concentrations in various tissues of Bursa rana and Turritella bacillum from the Pearl River Estuary, this paper studied the distribution and accumulation patterns of the heavy metals in the tissues of the two marine gastropods in the estuary. Our results revealed that hepatopancreas and intestine had greater differences in the enrichment patterns of the heavy metals, gills could play an important role in the enrichment of the heavy metals, and gonad was an important tissue for the enrichment of the residual heavy metals. Though the heavy metals concentrations in human body via eating the two gastropod species did not exceed the tolerable intake dose proposed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, more attention should be paid to the potential risks of the co-toxicity of the heavy metals to human health.

Key words: Microbe, Phylogenetic diversity, Conservation biology