Cadmium uptake by the European eel: trophic transfer in field and experimental investigations.
Due to its status of threatened species and being heavily contaminated by metals, the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) was selected to investigate cadmium contamination levels of fish settled along a historically cadmium-contaminated hydrosystem, the Garonne-Gironde continuum (France), according to its various location sites and fish length. Results have shown an important site effect on cadmium concentrations in liver but not in gills, highlighting the possible predominance of the trophic exposure route. Subsequently, uncontaminated eels were experimentally exposed to cadmium by water uptake and/or trophic route(s). Eels were fed with different preys: white shrimps collected in an unpolluted area in the Gironde estuary, and cadmium-enriched shrimps. Data obtained tend to show that the use of cadmium-enriched food during experimental investigations triggers an underestimation of the metal trophic transfer rate. These two complementary approaches provide some elements to suggest that the trophic route plays an important role in cadmium contamination of wild eels.
Pierron
Fabien
F
UMR CNRS 5805 EPOC, Team GEMA, Université Bordeaux 1 and CNRS, Place du Dr Peyneau, 33120 Arcachon, France.
Baudrimont
Magalie
M
Lucia
Magali
M
Durrieu
Gilles
G
Massabuau
Jean-Charles
JC
Elie
Pierre
P
D000811:Anguilla / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020387:Food Chain; D005602:France; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000378:metabolism; D005880:Gills / Q000378:metabolism; D043143:Hepatopancreas / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000378:metabolism; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism; D033561:Penaeidae / Q000378:metabolism*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002104:Cadmium; D008668:Metallothionein