Persistent organic pollutants in Antarctic notothenioid fish and invertebrates associated with trophic levels

PLoS One. 2018 Apr 11;13(4):e0194147. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194147. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Notothenioid fish and invertebrate samples from Antarctica were collected in the austral summer of 2009, and analyzed for persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), as well as δ13C and δ15N stable isotopes for trophic level determination. In this study, the POP levels in the Antarctic biota samples were found to be ranked in the following order: OCPs > PAHs >> PBDEs. The POP levels in notothenioid fish and krill correlate to trophic levels; however, the POP concentrations in intertidal benthic invertebrates are higher than in notothenioid fish implying that specific biogeochemical factors may affect bioaccumulation in the Antarctica ecosystem. Biomagnification of POPs may have a smaller role than bioconcentration in Antarctica environment. In addition to the source, transport, exposure, and absorption for each group of POPs in the short food chain in Antarctica, the biological variation among species, interaction habitats, diet and metabolism are also factors for future studies on contaminant bioaccumulation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antarctic Regions
  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Chlorine / chemistry
  • Diet
  • Ecosystem
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Environmental Pollutants / analysis*
  • Fishes / metabolism*
  • Food Chain
  • Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / analysis
  • Invertebrates / drug effects*
  • Nitrogen Isotopes
  • Organic Chemicals / analysis*
  • Pesticides
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls / analysis
  • Tissue Distribution
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis

Substances

  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated
  • Nitrogen Isotopes
  • Organic Chemicals
  • Pesticides
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Chlorine
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls

Grants and funding

This work was funded by the National Museum Marine Biology and Aquarium (Grant No. NMMBA981014 to FCK) (URL: http://www.nmmba.gov.tw/En/cp.aspx?n=77EE24DA4467A777&s=CAD4BFFA9CD4C5C7), and the National Dong-Hwa University. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.