Trophic transfer of flame retardants (PBDEs) in the food web of Lake Erie

We studied the occurrence, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in a mixed food web of native and non-native species in Lake Erie. Non-native species were found at the basal level of the web (dreissenid mussels), at the intermediate level (round gobies, rai...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences 2015-12, Vol.72 (12), p.1886-1896
Main Authors: Pérez-Fuentetaja, Alicia, Mackintosh, Susan A, Zimmerman, Lisa R, Clapsadl, Mark D, Alaee, Mehran, Aga, Diana S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Bioaccumulation
Biological magnification
Biota
Canada
Chemical compounds
Environmental aspects
Ethers
Fireproofing agents
Fish
Flame retardants
Food chains
Indigenous species
Introduced species
Lakes
Mollusks
Perca flavescens
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers
Predators
Prey
Trophic levels
Water pollution
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Summary:We studied the occurrence, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in a mixed food web of native and non-native species in Lake Erie. Non-native species were found at the basal level of the web (dreissenid mussels), at the intermediate level (round gobies, rainbow smelt), and at the top predator rung (steelhead trout). Mean concentrations of total PBDEs in biota (wet mass) ranged from 1.03 ng·g –1 in dreissenid mussels to 31.5 ng·g –1 in walleye. Large piscivores (smallmouth bass, steelhead trout, walleye, and lake trout) had PBDE concentrations three to seven times higher than prey fish (emerald shiners, round gobies, rainbow smelt, and yellow perch). Walleye had the highest concentration of PBDEs among all of the fish species analyzed. BDE 47 was the dominant congener found in biota. Biomagnification factors (corrected for trophic level) indicated that total PBDEs were biomagnified in three fish species: rainbow smelt, smallmouth bass, and steelhead trout. Overall, BDEs 47 and 100 had the highest level of trophic magnification (TMF) from invertebrates to top predators. For fish species, the highest TMF was for BDEs 47 and 49+71. We found that dreissenid mussels and round gobies had the lowest PBDE contamination of the organisms analyzed; however, other non-native prey species such as rainbow smelt contributed significantly to the biomagnification of PBDEs.
ISSN:0706-652X
1205-7533
DOI:10.1139/cjfas-2015-0088