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In this study, we analyzed the role of bivalve species present on 10 beaches in the Bay of Panama as bioindicators of pollution. We evaluated the type of adaptation they exhibit (tolerant and less tolerant). To this end, we evaluated the correlation between the different collection sites and the species found at each site. A total of 108 species in 58 genera and 33 families of bivalves (Pelecypods) were recorded. Lima pacifica, a highly pollution-tolerant bivalve, was found on the beaches of Punta Paitilla and Naos Island. Other filter-feeding bivalves collected with high commercial value and widely consumed in our country included Ostrea conchaphila, Agerostrea megodon, Crassostrea columbiensis, C. corteziensis, Saccostrea palmula, and Striostrea iridescens, which were attached to the rocks on five beaches in the Bay of Panama. The similarity coefficients obtained between these beaches indicate that two of the beaches studied have the same structural configuration, favoring the adaptability of the species found there. This suggests that, if only those sites with a high abundance of pollution-tolerant species are considered, the hypothesis is supported that the closest sectors share a greater number of pollutant-resistant species and are likely to recover more quickly than those farther away. Meanwhile, beaches with species that are not very tolerant, when these species disappear, indicate the unfavorable conditions these coastal areas face for the prevalence of these species' populations.
