Growth-dependent and species-specific accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in tidal flat organisms collected from the Ariake Sea, Japan.

Abstract

The growth-related as well as species-specific accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was studied for tidal flat organisms collected from the Ariake Sea, western Japan. Elevated concentrations of PCBs were found in omnivore fishes, followed in decreasing order by crabs, herbivore fishes, and mussels. This revealed that trophic levels play an important role in PCB accumulation in these organisms. Age- and body length-dependent accumulations of PCBs were observed in herbivorous mudskippers, although a large range of concentrations was found in similar growth stage of fishes. High correlations have been found between concentrations and body length rather than age, which may indicate that the growth rate, which is strongly influenced by the feeding rate of diets, seems to be the predominant factor in determining PCB accumulation. Besides, based on PCB levels in eggs and the whole body in herbivore fishes, the transfer rate of PCBs was estimated to be approximately 10% of female body burdens. Comparison of PCB compositions between eggs and whole body suggests the selective transfer of lower-chlorinated congeners to eggs, which may be due to their instantaneous periods to achieve steady state between egg and whole body lipids. The relationship between BSAFs (biota-sediment accumulation factors) in organisms and log Kow revealed that omnivore mudskipper significantly accumulated PCBs in their body, which might be due to their greater feeding rate and/or higher trophic status in the tidal flat environment.