title: Low concentrations of contaminants in an invasive cyprinid, the rudd, in a Great Lakes Area of Concern.
abstract: The invasive, omnivorous rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus is abundant in the upper Niagara River, a Great Lakes Area of Concern. Invasive species can alter trophic and contaminant pathways, but complex ontogenetic and seasonal diet shifts by rudds make it difficult to predict their chemical burdens relative to other fishes. We quantified concentrations of chemical residues in rudds and compared them to six fish species from various trophic levels. Rudds contained low concentrations of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (mean = 0.02 μg/g), Hg (mean = 0.03 μg/g), and polychlorinated biphenyls (mean = 0.06 μg/g); these concentrations were among the lowest for all species examined. Concentrations of aldrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, total hexachlorocyclohexanes, mirex, and total chlordanes were less than the method detection limit for all rudds examined. If reducing rudd biomass is determined to be beneficial, resource managers could consider targeted harvest, given the low concentrations of contaminant in rudds and their susceptibility to capture.
authors: Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA, kkapuscinski@lssu.edu.
authors: Kevin L
authors: KL
authors: Kapuscinski
authors: John M
authors: JM
authors: Farrell
authors: Gordon
authors: G
authors: Paterson
authors: Michael A
authors: MA
authors: Wilkinson
authors: Lawrence C
authors: LC
authors: Skinner
authors: Wayne
authors: W
authors: Richter
authors: Anthony J
authors: AJ
authors: Gudlewski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003530:Cyprinidae / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D020387:Food Chain; D006114:Great Lakes Region; D058865:Introduced Species; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000378:metabolism*; D045483:Rivers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009930:Organic Chemicals; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical