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Enhanced accumulation of PCB congeners by baltic sea blue mussels, Mytilus edulis , with increased algae enrichment
Author(s) -
Gilek Michael,
Björk Mikael,
Kautsky Nils,
Broman Dag,
Näf Carina
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620150925
Subject(s) - mytilus , bioaccumulation , environmental chemistry , algae , blue mussel , baltic sea , water column , eutrophication , phytoplankton , particulates , green algae , chemistry , biology , ecology , oceanography , nutrient , geology
The objective of this study was to examine if natural variations in the quantity of phytoplankton‐derived particulate and dissolved organic carbon influences the accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the tissues of Baltic Sea blue mussels (Mytilus edulis L.). In a laboratory flow‐through experiment we exposed M. edulis to the technical PCB mixture Aroclor® 1248 for 21 d at three different enrichments of the unicellular green algae Chlamydomonas sp., 0.10, 0.16, and 0.32 mg particulate organic carbon (POC)/L. Tissue and water concentrations were determined for seven PCB congeners (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry [IUPAC] 52, 101, 105, 118, 138, 153, and 180), and 21‐d bioaccumulation factors were calculated against total water concentrations. Contrary to what would be expected, an increase in algae enrichment from 0.10 to 0.32 mg POC/L resulted in an enhanced PCB accumulation by a factor of approx. 2. This increase in PCB accumulation was more pronounced for PCB congeners with lower hydrophobicity. These observations have implications for the design of laboratory accumulation studies and potentially for PCB accumulation and cycling in field populations of suspension‐feeding mussels in response to changes in eutrophication status.