Influence of Feeding Ecology on Legacy Organochlorine Contaminants in Freshwater Fishes of Lake Erie

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2021

Publication Title

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

Volume

40

Issue

12

First Page

3421

Keywords

Bioaccumulation, Contaminants, Ecology, Food web, Freshwater fish, Stable isotopes

Last Page

3433

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in biota are influenced by ecological, physiological, and physicochemical properties; however, there is a need for a better understanding about the interplay of these parameters on POP dynamics and fate. To address this, POPs in three Lake Erie freshwater fishes (freshwater drum, Aplodinotus grunniens; walleye, Sander vitreus; and white perch, Morone americana) with different feeding ecologies were assessed using life history characteristics and three stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S). Lipid normalized POP concentrations were in the range of past studies and were generally similar among the three species when all ages were combined. Principal component analysis (PCA) found the two significant PCs (explaining 59% and 10% of the variation), with all POPs loading significantly onto PC1, which indicated a common source of contamination, likely legacy sediment loads. Loadings on both PCs were correlated with POP log KOW. Age, habitat use (δ13C and δ34S), trophic position (δ15N) and interactions between age and δ15N, age and species, and δ15N and δ34S were significant predictors of POP concentration based on PC1 scores, whereas δ13C and species were significant predictors of PC2 scores. The similar concentrations among the species, yet variation related to the ecology (age and trophic position) across individuals demonstrates the complexity of contaminant dynamics in freshwater fish in a large lake system and the need to consider variation across individuals within species. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:3421–3433. © 2021 SETAC.

DOI

10.1002/etc.5224

ISSN

07307268

E-ISSN

15528618

PubMed ID

34587647

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS