Importance of maternal transfer of the photoreactive polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon fluoranthene from benthic adult bivalves to their pelagic larvae

Abstract

AbstractLaboratory experiments were conducted to determine if maternal transfer of polycyclicaromatichydrocarbons (P AH) from benthic adult bivalves could result in phototoxicity to their pelagic larvae when exposed to ultraviolet light (UV). In these experiments, adult bivalves were exposed to water or sediments amended with the model photoreactive PAH, fluoranthene. Elevated adult fluoranthene tissue concentrations were correlated with embryo concentrations. Embryonic mortality was enhanced by exposure to ultraviolet light when adult tissue fluoranthene levels were greater than 5,000 μg/g lipid. While the exposure concentrations used in this experimental system were high, ultraviolet light exposure levels were low. Also, some of the PAHs are more potent than the model compound used in this study. These results indicate that maternal transfer of photoactive PAHs from organisms living in contaminated sediments may represent a significant adverse effect to populations of benthic bivalves.