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Trophic magnification of legacy persistent organic pollutants in an urban terrestrial food web. 2020

Kate M Fremlin, and John E Elliott, and David J Green, and Kenneth G Drouillard, and Tom Harner, and Anita Eng, and Frank A P C Gobas
Simon Fraser University, Dept. of Biological Sciences, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada. Electronic address: kfremlin@sfu.ca.

Legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), persist for generations in the environment and often negatively impact endocrine functions in exposed wildlife. Protocols to assess the bioaccumulation potential of these chemicals within terrestrial systems are far less developed than for aquatic systems. Consequently, regulatory agencies in Canada, the United States, and the European Union rely primarily on aquatic information for the bioaccumulation assessment of chemicals. However, studies have shown that some chemicals that are not bioaccumulative in aquatic food webs can biomagnify in terrestrial food webs. Thus, to better understand the bioaccumulative behaviour of chemicals in terrestrial systems, we examined trophic magnification of hydrophobic POPs in an urban terrestrial food web that included an avian apex predator, the Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii). Over 100 samples were collected from various trophic levels of the food web including hawk eggs, songbirds, invertebrates, and berries and analysed for concentrations of 38 PCB congeners, 20 OCPs, 20 PBDE congeners, and 7 other brominated flame retardants listed on the Government of Canada's Chemicals Management Plan. We determined trophic magnification factors (TMFs) for contaminants that had a 50% or greater detection frequency in all biota samples and compared these terrestrial TMFs to those observed in aquatic systems. TMFs in this terrestrial food web ranged between 1.2 (0.21 SE) and 15 (4.0 SE), indicating that the majority of these POPs are biomagnifying. TMFs of the legacy POPs investigated in this terrestrial food web increased in a statistically significant relationship with both the logarithm of the octanol-air (log KOA) and octanal-water partition (log KOW) coefficients of the POPs. POPs with a log KOA >6 or a log KOW >5 exhibited biomagnification potential in this terrestrial food web.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011078 Polychlorinated Biphenyls Industrial products consisting of a mixture of chlorinated biphenyl congeners and isomers. These compounds are highly lipophilic and tend to accumulate in fat stores of animals. Many of these compounds are considered toxic and potential environmental pollutants. PCBs,Polychlorinated Biphenyl,Polychlorobiphenyl Compounds,Biphenyl, Polychlorinated,Biphenyls, Polychlorinated,Compounds, Polychlorobiphenyl
D002170 Canada The largest country in North America, comprising 10 provinces and three territories. Its capital is Ottawa.
D004784 Environmental Monitoring The monitoring of the level of toxins, chemical pollutants, microbial contaminants, or other harmful substances in the environment (soil, air, and water), workplace, or in the bodies of people and animals present in that environment. Monitoring, Environmental,Environmental Surveillance,Surveillance, Environmental
D004785 Environmental Pollutants Substances or energies, for example heat or light, which when introduced into the air, water, or land threaten life or health of individuals or ECOSYSTEMS. Environmental Pollutant,Pollutant,Pollutants,Pollutants, Environmental,Pollutant, Environmental
D005399 Fishes A group of cold-blooded, aquatic vertebrates having gills, fins, a cartilaginous or bony endoskeleton, and elongated bodies covered with scales.
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014874 Water Pollutants, Chemical Chemical compounds which pollute the water of rivers, streams, lakes, the sea, reservoirs, or other bodies of water. Chemical Water Pollutants,Landfill Leachate,Leachate, Landfill,Pollutants, Chemical Water
D055768 Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers Compounds that contain two halogenated benzene rings linked via an OXYGEN atom. Many polybrominated diphenyl ethers are used as FLAME RETARDANTS. Brominated Diphenyl Ethers,Chlorinated Diphenyl Ethers,Fluorinated Diphenyl Ethers,Iodinated Diphenyl Ethers,PBDE Compounds,PBDEs,PCDE Compounds,PCDEs,Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers,Diphenyl Ethers, Brominated,Diphenyl Ethers, Chlorinated,Diphenyl Ethers, Fluorinated,Diphenyl Ethers, Halogenated,Diphenyl Ethers, Iodinated,Diphenyl Ethers, Polybrominated,Ethers, Brominated Diphenyl,Ethers, Chlorinated Diphenyl,Ethers, Fluorinated Diphenyl,Ethers, Halogenated Diphenyl,Ethers, Iodinated Diphenyl,Ethers, Polybrominated Diphenyl
D020387 Food Chain The sequence of transfers of matter and energy from organism to organism in the form of FOOD. Food chains intertwine locally into a food web because most organisms consume more than one type of animal or plant. PLANTS, which convert SOLAR ENERGY to food by PHOTOSYNTHESIS, are the primary food source. In a predator chain, a plant-eating animal is eaten by a larger animal. In a parasite chain, a smaller organism consumes part of a larger host and may itself be parasitized by smaller organisms. In a saprophytic chain, microorganisms live on dead organic matter. Food Web,Parasite Chain,Predator Chain,Saprophytic Chain,Chain, Food,Chain, Parasite,Chain, Predator,Chain, Saprophytic,Chains, Food,Chains, Parasite,Chains, Predator,Chains, Saprophytic,Food Chains,Food Webs,Parasite Chains,Predator Chains,Saprophytic Chains,Web, Food,Webs, Food

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