title: Stable isotope-guided analysis of congener-specific PCB concentrations in a Japanese coastal food web.
abstract: Organisms collected from a coastal ecosystem in Japan were analyzed for concentrations of 205 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners; analyses were guided by delta(13)C and delta(15)N measurements. The regression slopes of log PCB concentration on delta(15)N value are regarded as indices of biomagnification in food webs. The slope (wet weight basis) of SigmaPCBs was +0.104; the slope (lipid weight basis) was close to zero. Lipid content increased from 0.06% in a primary producer to 8.32% in the highest trophic level consumer. Hence, biomagnification of SigmaPCBs (wet weight basis) can be attributed to increase of lipid content through the food web. For most of the congeners, the slopes (wet weight basis) exceeded those (lipid weight basis) by ca. 0.10. Slopes increased with increasing PCB chlorination levels between chlorine numbers 1-6; slopes decreased at higher chlorination levels. This decrease is likely caused by a decrease in membrane permeability with increasing molecular weight.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Environment Conservation, Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8566, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: Masahide
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Omori
authors.forename: Kiyonori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism; D020387:Food Chain; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000378:metabolism; D007564:Japan; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D012624:Seaweed / Q000378:metabolism; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D008055:Lipids; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls