Comparison of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon accumulation in crab tissues with the ambient marine particles from shallow hydrothermal vents, northeast Taiwan

Abstract

This study investigated and compared polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in crab (Xenograpsus testudinatus), suspended particulate matter, and surface sediment sampled from Kuei-shan-tao (KST) shallow water vents just offshore northeast Taiwan. The total concentrations of PAHs (t-PAHs) in suspended particles near the vents (533–685 ng g−1 dw) were two orders of magnitude higher than the overlying sediment (3.42–6.06 ng g−1 dw). The t-PAHs in sediment were significantly lower than those found in suspended particulate matter and all crab tissues tested, including hepatopancreas (192–1154 ng g−1 dw), gill (221–748 ng g−1 dw), muscle (30–174 ng g−1 dw), and exoskeleton (22–96 ng g−1 dw). Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated tissue-specific bioaccumulation of PAHs in crabs. The compositions of PAHs in gill, muscle, and exoskeleton were mainly low molecular weight, while the composition in the hepatopancreas included both high and low molecular weight PAHs. Highly variable but characteristic PAH congeners and concentrations in crab tissues and ambient aquatic particles reflect bioaccumulation.