Heavy metals, while naturally occurring, have seen their biogeochemical cycles significantly disrupted by anthropogenic activities, leading to widespread environmental contamination. Their persistence, bioaccumulative potential, and toxicity pose severe risks to marine ecosystems and human health. This review examines the ecotoxicological impacts of key heavy metals cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) derived from industrial, agricultural, and urban sources on Perinereis aibuhitensis, a keystone polychaete species in coastal and estuarine ecosystems. P. aibuhitensis plays a vital role in sediment bioturbation, nutrient cycling, and benthic-pelagic coupling, making it a critical bioindicator for assessing metal pollution. Exposure to elevated metal concentrations induces sublethal effects, including oxidative stress, metabolic disruption, neurotoxicity, and behavioral alterations, which can cascade through food webs. However, interactions between metal bioavailability, sediment geochemistry and co-occurring stressors and most available studies are short-term and focus on single metals, so chronic low-dose exposures, metal mixtures and links to ecosystem processes remain poorly understood, necessitating further mechanistic studies. This review highlights the urgent need for integrated monitoring frameworks and remediation strategies to mitigate heavy metal pollution in marine environments. Future research should prioritize elucidating molecular pathways of toxicity in P. aibuhitensis and its implications for ecosystem resilience.
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