Abstract
Although there have been numerous studies on microcystin (MC) accumulation in aquatic organisms recently, the bioaccumulation of MCs in relatively small sized organisms, as well as potential influencing factors, has been rarely studied. Thus, in this study, we investigated the bioaccumulation of three MC congeners (-LR, -RR and -YR) in the chironomid larvae of Tanypus chinensis (an excellent food source for certain fishes), the potential sources of these MCs, and potentially relevant environmental parameters over the course of one year in Lake Taihu, China. MC concentrations in T. chinensis varied temporally with highest concentrations during the warmest months (except August 2013) and very low concentrations during the remaining months. Among the three potential MC sources, only intracellular MCs were significantly and positively correlated with MCs in T. chinensis. Although MC concentrations in T. chinensis significantly correlated with a series of physicochemical parameters of water column, cyanobacteria species explained the most variability of MC accumulation, with the rest primarily explained by extraMC-LR. These results indicated that ingestion of MC-producing algae of cyanobacteria accounted for most of the MC that accumulated in T. chinensis. The high MC concentrations in T. chinensis may pose a potential health threat to humans through trophic transfer.
Highlights
Microcystins (MCs), which are the most commonly detected cyclic heptapeptide cyanotoxin, are comprised of more than 90 congeners1
If T. chinensis is accumulating microcystins, and in turn is being consumed by other species, such as fish, which are being consumed by humans, there is a potential health risk35
Despite numerous studies that have focused on MC accumulation in aquatic organisms, this study is the first report on MC bioaccumulation in T. chinensis
Summary
Microcystins (MCs), which are the most commonly detected cyclic heptapeptide cyanotoxin, are comprised of more than 90 congeners. G., DDT), MCs are less stable and have a lower octanol-water partition coefficient (Pow); these characteristics suggest MCs are unlikely to be biomagnified within freshwater food webs. Due to their worldwide distribution and high toxicity, MCs could accumulate in various freshwater organisms. Xie et al. studied MCs accumulation in fishes at different trophic levels from Lake Chao (China) and found MC content in muscle was highest in carnivorous and omnivorous fish and lowest in phytoplanktivorous fish. Chironomids are ubiquitous in most freshwater habitats, and often dominate aquatic insect communities21 They occupy an important position in the freshwater food web and are major food sources for certain fish and some other aquatic organisms. Our study is the first report on MC accumulation in T. chinensis
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