Antimony (Sb), a naturally occurring trace element, tends to be enriched in the top-soil and contributes to soil contamination due to continued human activities. However, little is known about plant uptake of Sb, its storage in plant biomass and recycling in large littoral zones of tropical regions, subjected to strong anthropogenic impact. Biogeochemistry of Sb has been studied in the world’s largest Sundarbans mangroves by measuring Sb concentration in sediment, plant organs, river water, sea water and pore water, and by determining Sb fluxes within the ecosystem reservoirs. Mangrove estuarine water and sediment appeared to be non-polluted in Sb as confirmed by their ecotoxicological indexes. Sediment represented major pool of Sb (2170 g ha^-1) compared to plant biomass (2.2 g ha^-1). Antimony concentration (μg kg^-1) in mangrove roots was highest (17±6) followed by leaf and wood (10.5±6, 9±4, respectively, n = 24). Species-specific variability in Sb concentration was observed with Aegiceras corniculatum, showing highest concentration (48.8 μg kg^-1) and Avicenna marina lowest (16.6 μg kg^-1). Riverine input of Sb (9.3 to 12 Mg yr^-1) was 3-order of magnitude higher than the mangrove sediment-derived input (0.02 to 0.05 Mg yr^-1), suggesting the latter as negligible contributor of Sb to the Sundarbans coastal water. The mass balance calculations demonstrate that 63 to 88% of the annual riverine discharge of Sb export to the Bay of Bengal. Further biogeochemical studies should address Sb transport and speciation in surface waters and pore waters of this region.

锑（Sb）是一种天然存在的微量元素，倾向于在表层土壤中富集，并由于持续的人类活动而导致土壤污染。但是，人们对Sb的吸收，其在植物生物量中的存储以及热带地区大沿海地区的回收利用等知之甚少。通过测量沉积物，植物器官，河水，海水和孔隙水中的Sb浓度，并确定生态系统储层中的Sb通量，已在世界上最大的Sundarbans红树林中研究了Sb的生物地球化学。红树林河口水和沉积物的生态毒理学指标证实其在Sb中无污染。与植物生物量（2.2 g ha ^-1）相比，沉积物代表了Sb的主要储量（2170 g ha ^-1））。红树林根部的锑浓度（μgkg ^-1）最高（17±6），其次是树叶和木材（分别为10.5±6、9±4，n = 24）。Aegiceras corniculatum观察到Sb浓度的物种特异性变异，显示最高浓度（48.8μgkg ^-1）和Avicenna marina最低（16.6μgkg ^-1）。Sb的河流输入（9.3至12 Mg yr ^-1）比红树林沉积物输入的输入（0.02至0.05 Mg yr ^-1）高3个数量级。），表明后者对Sundarbans沿海水体的Sb贡献微不足道。物质平衡的计算表明，每年向河流中排放的Sb的63％至88％出口到孟加拉湾。进一步的生物地球化学研究应解决该地区地表水和孔隙水中的锑迁移和形态。