Abstract:The effects of various animal ages, somatic tissues, exposure times, seawater temperatures, and salinities on the accumulation of heavy metals, cadmium and copper, in Tegillarca granosa were investigated in the present study. When exposed to 0.5 mg/L cadmium and 1mg/L copper respectively, the accumulations of cadmium and copper in T. granosa were significantly influenced by the age of tested animal and environmental conditions. (1) The accumulations of cadmium and copper in somatic tissues were shown to be negatively related to the age of T. granosa. The elder T. granosa (three-years old) accumulated significant less heavy metal than the younger ones (one-year old). (2) During a seven days' heavy metal exposure, the cadmium and copper accumulated in somatic tissues of T. granosa increased with the exposure time increased, and reached 118.293μg/g and 315.328μg/g for cadmium and copper, respectively. (3) The accumulations of cadmium and copper in T. granosa were positively correlated to the water temperature. The concentrations of heavy metals in somatic tissues of T. granosa reached 125.859μg/g and 576.504μg/g for cadmium and copper respectively in the highest temperature (30 ℃) experimental trials, which were significant greater than 44.524μg/g cadmium and 33.805μg/g copper accumulated in the lowest temperature (15℃) trials. (4) The accumulations of cadmium and copper in T. granosa were negatively affected by increased salinity. In the 10 ‰ salinity experimental trials, 69.958μg/g cadmium and 32.226μg/g copper were accumulated in T. granosa, which were significantly greater than 10.191μg/g cadmium and 12.564μg/g copper accumulated in the 30 ‰ salinity trials. (5) After 96 hours' heavy metal exposure, there were significant heavy metal content differences in various tissues. Cadmium and copper are mainly accumulated in the mantle of T. granosa and the concentrations reached 131.433μg/g and 289.432μg/g for cadmium and copper, respectively. Least cadmium (34.812μg/g) and copper (47.759μg/g) were accumulated in the adductor muscles. In general, the heavy metal accumulated in various tissues following decreasing order as mantle > viscera > gill > foot > adductor muscle for cadmium and mantle > gill > viscera > foot > adductor muscle for copper, respectively.