Trophic Transfer of Radioactive Micronutrients in a Shallow Benthic Food Web

Abstract

The Baltic Sea is one of the most polluted seas in the world, with widespread eutrophication and radionuclide contamination. Using key species of the Baltic Sea, the effects of eutrophication on uptake and trophic transfer of the radioactive micronutrients commonly found in nuclear power plant effluents were investigated experimentally using the brown macroalgae Fucus vesiculosus and the grazers Idotea balthica and Theodoxus fluviatilis in a controlled environment. Rapid uptake of 54Mn, 57Co, and 65Zn from water was observed in all biota; and eutrophication combined with grazing pressure strongly influenced the uptake in F. vesiculosus. Uptake of 54Mn, 57Co, and 65Zn to I. balthica and T. fluviatilis grazing on F. vesiculosus were also observed. The results indicate that ecosystems could be open for further trophic transfer as radionuclides accumulate quickly in the producers and are transferred to primary consumers. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1694–1705. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.