Abstract
The present study deals with the assessment of copper pollution in the mangrove habitat of Karachi, which is heavily polluted with industrial effluents. Concentration of the metal was traced from seawater to sediments and in different parts of the mangrove A vicennia marina, like pneumatophores (aerial roots), bark, leaves, twigs, flowers and fruits. Lowest concentrations were recorded in seawater and highest in sediments. Among the different mangrove parts, bark and pneumatophore possessed higher concentrations and fruits the lowest. The concentration factor values indicate that only a fraction of the copper present in the sediments is bioavailable to the mangrove.