Characteristics of trophic transfer of polychlorinated biphenyls in marine organisms in Incheon North Harbor, Korea

Abstract

The trophic transfer of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was characterized for zooplankton (primarily Paracalanus spp. and Acartia spp.), pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas), shore crab (Hemigrapsus penicillatus), and goby (Acanthogobius hasta) in the aquatic system of Incheon North Harbor, Korea. The congener pattern in the species was clearly divided by the main PCB uptake route. Compared with zooplankton and oyster, the fraction of heavier homologues increased in crab and goby that take PCBs from food. Linear relationships were observed between log (fugacity in lipid/fugacity in seawater) and log K-ow for all the species. For zooplankton and oyster, such an observation should not be regarded as a true absence of superhydrophobicity, because establishment of equilibrium with seawater was not evident. For crab and goby, the absence of superhydrophobicity was evidenced by the trophic transfer factor that continuously increased with K-ow up to 10(7.8). These results suggest that superhydrophobicity might be species specific. The trophic transfer factors and the fugacity levels in the lipid phase indicated that bioaccumulation in crab and goby advanced beyond the level in equilibrium with seawater in the harbor basin.