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Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in a food web of Lake Michigan

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Abstract

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers are hydrophobic chemicals and can biomagnify in food chains. Little is known about the biomagnification of PBDEs in the Lake Michigan food web. Plankton, Diporeia, lake whitefish, lake trout, and Chinook salmon were collected from Lake Michigan in 2006 between April and August. Fish liver and muscle and whole invertebrates were analyzed for six PBDEs (BDE-47, 99, 100, 153, 154, and 209). Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) were also quantified in order to establish the trophic structure of the food web. Geometric means of \(\sum\hbox{PBDE}\) concentrations in fish ranged from 0.562 to 1.61 μg/g-lipid. BDE-209 concentrations ranged from 0.184 to 1.23 μg/g-lipid in all three fish species. \(\sum\hbox{BDE}{\text{-}}47\) , 99, and 209 comprised 80–94% of \(\sum\hbox{PBDE}\) molar concentration. Within each fish species, there were no significant differences in PBDE concentrations between liver and muscle. The highest concentration of BDE-209 (144 μg/g-lipid) was detected in Diporeia. Based on analysis of δ15N and PBDE concentrations, BDE-47 and 100 were found to biomagnify, whereas BDE-209 did not. A significant negative correlation between BDE-209 and trophic level was found in this food web. Biomagnification factors were also calculated and again BDE-47 and 100 biomagnified between food web members whereas BDE-209 did not. Diporeia could be one of the main dietary sources of BDE-209 for fish in Lake Michigan; BDE-47 and 100 biomagnified within this food chain; the concentration of BDE-209 decreased at higher trophic levels, suggesting partial uptake and/or biotransformation of BDE-209 in the Lake Michigan food web.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Michigan Department of National Resources for helping collecting the fish and Walter Bialkowski and Kimberly Ralston-Hooper for their help with invertebrate sampling. We also thank the Cornell Isotope Laboratory for stable isotope analysis as well as Dr. Changhe Xiao, Dr. Anant Bharadwaj, and Juan Bezares-Cruz for laboratory assistance. This work was financially supported by the US EPA Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO): “Ecotoxicology of Brominated Flame Retardants in Great Lakes Biota” (Project number GL2005-139). The conclusions in this article do not necessarily reflect those of GLNPO.

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  1. Yin-Ming Kuo

    Present address: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Vermont, 33 Colchester Ave., Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 550 Stadium Mall Dr., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Yin-Ming Kuo, Maria S. Sepúlveda, Inez Hua & Hugo G. Ochoa-Acuña

  2. Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 195 Marsteller St., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Maria S. Sepúlveda

  3. Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University, 500 Central Dr., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Inez Hua

  4. Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, 725 Harrison St., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Hugo G. Ochoa-Acuña

  5. School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 245 O’Neill Building, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA

    Trent M. Sutton

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  1. Yin-Ming Kuo
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Correspondence to Inez Hua.

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Kuo, YM., Sepúlveda, M.S., Hua, I. et al. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in a food web of Lake Michigan. Ecotoxicology 19, 623–634 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-009-0431-1

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