Abstract
This study examines the role of the organic carbon content of sediment in aromatic hydrocarbon bioaccumulation and assesses the importance of two routes of hydrocarbon uptake: (1) the uptake of the particulate contaminant fraction from ingested sediment; (2) the uptake of the dissolved contaminant fraction from interstitial or overlying water. The lugwormAbarenicola pacifica was collected from San Juan Island, Washington, USA, in January 1989, and exposed to three sediments contaminated with [3H]benzo (a) pyrene (BaP). By manipulating the organic content of these sediments, it was possible to establish three treatments with similar BaP concentrations in the interstitial water, but differing in the amount of BaP in the bulk sediment. BaP bioaccumulation over the first few days of exposure was correlated with feeding rate, suggesting that ingested sediments were a source of BaP. The greatest body burden, however, was attained in those individuals held in sediments with the lowest organic carbon content and the lowest BaP concentration. Body burden at steady state was not correlated with either BaP concentrations in bulk sediment (dry weight or organic carbon-normalized bases) or the interstitial water. Increased organic matter decreased BaP bioavailability in a non-linear fashion. Bioaccumulation factors relative to water and organic content were relatively constant between 1 and 2% organic carbon in the sediment, but these same accumulation factors substantially underestimated body burden if applied to sandy sediments with little (0.3%) organic carbon.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Literature cited
Adams, J. W. (1987). Bioavailability of neutral lipophilic organic chemicals contained in sediments: a review. In: Dickson, K. L., Maki, A. W., Brungs, W. A. (eds.) Fate and effects of sedimentbound chemicals in aquatic systems. Pergamon Press, New York, p. 219–244
Adams, W. J., Kimerle, R. A., Mosher, R. G. (1985). Aquatic safety assessment of chemicals sorbed to sediments. In: Cardwell, R. D., Purdy, R., Bahner, R. C. (eds.) Aquatic toxicology and hazard assessment: Seventh Symposium. STP 854. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, p. 429–453
Anderson, J. W., Kiesser, S. L., Blaylock, J. W. (1979). Comparative uptake of naphthalenes from water and oiled sediment by benthic amphipods. In: Proceedings of the 1979 Oil Spill Conference. American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C., p. 579–584. (Publs Am. Petrol. Inst. No. 4308)
Anderson, J. W., Moore, L. J., Blaylock, J. W., Woodruff, D. L., Kiesser, S. L. (1977). Bioavailability of sediment-sorbed naphthalenes to the sipunculid worm,Phascolosoma agassizii. In: Wolfe, D. A. (ed.) Fate and effects of petroleum hydrocarbons in marine organisms and ecosystems. Pergamon Press, New York, p. 276–285
Augenfeld, J. M., Anderson, J. W., Riley, R. G., Thomas, B. L. (1982). The fate of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in an intertidal sediment exposure system: bioavailability toMacoma inquinata (Mollusca: Pelecypoda) andAbarenicola pacifica (Annelida: Polychaeta). Mar. envirl Res. 7: 31–50
Baumfalk, Y. A. (1979). Heterogeneous grain size distribution in tidal flat sediment caused by bioturbation activity ofArenicola marina (Polychaeta). Neth. J. Sea. Res. 13: 428–440
Beasley, T. M., Fowler, S. W. (1976). Plutonium and americium: uptake from contaminated sediments by the polychaeteNereis diversicolor. Mar. Biol. 38: 95–100
Boehm, P. D., Quinn, J. G. (1976). The effect of dissolved organic matter in sea water on the uptake of mixed individual hydrocarbons and number 2 fuel oil by a marine bivalve (Mercenaria mercenaria). Estuar. cstl mar. Sci. 4: 93–105
Boese, B. L., Lee, H., II, Sprecht, D. T., Randall, R. C., Winsor, M. (in press). Aqueous and solid phase HCB uptake in a depositfeeding clam. Envir. Toxic. Chem.
Bryan, G. W., Hummerstone, L. G. (1971). Adaptation of the polychaeteNereis diversicolor to estuarine sediments containing high concentrations of heavy metals. I. General observations and adaptations to copper. J. mar. biol. Ass. U. K. 51: 845–863
Bryan, G. W., Uysal, H. (1978). Heavy metals in the burrowing bivalveScrobicularia plana from the Tamar Estuary in relation to environmental levels. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 58: 89–108
Cadée, G. C. (1976). Sediment reworking byArenicola marina on tidal flats in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Neth. J. Sea Res. 10: 440–460
Chapman, P. M. (1989). Current approaches to developing sediment quality criteria. Envir. Toxic. Chem. 8: 589–599
Collier, T. K. (1978). Disposition and metabolism of napthalene in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). M.S. thesis. University of Washington, Seattle
Eadie, B. J., Landrum, P. F., Faust, W. (1982). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments, pore water and the amphipodPontoporeia hoyi from Lake Michigan. Chemosphere (U.K.) 11: 847–858
Foster, G. D., Wright, D. A. (1988). Unsubstituted polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments, clams, and clam worms from Chesapeake Bay. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 19: 459–465
Fowler, S. W., Polikarpov, G. G., Elder, D. L., Parsi, P., Villeneuve, J.-P. (1978). Polychlorinated biphenyls: accumulation from contaminated sediments and water by the polychaeteNereis diversicolor. Mar. Biol. 48: 303–465
Hedges, J. I., Stern, J. H. (1984). Carbon and nitrogen determinations of carbonate-containing solids. Limnol. Oceanogr. 29: 657–663
Heitkamp, M. A., Cerniglia, C. E. (1987). Effects of chemical structure and exposure on the microbial degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in freshwater and estuarine ecosystems. Envir. Toxic. Chem. 6: 535–546
Herbes, S. E., Schwall, L. R. (1978). Microbial transformation of polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons in pristine and petroleum-contaminated sediments. Appl. envirl Microbio. 35: 306–316
Howell, R. (1983). Heavy metals in marine nematodes: uptake, tissue distribution and loss of copper and zinc. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 14: 263–268
Hylleberg, J. (1975). Selective feeding byAbarenicola pacifica with notes onAbarenicola vagabunda and a concept of gardening in lugworms. Ophelia 14: 113–137
Karickhoff, S. W. (1981). Semi-empirical estimation of sorption of hydrophobic pollutants on natural sediments and soils. Chemosphere 10: 833–846
Kemp, P. F., Swartz, R. C. (1988). Acute toxicity of interstitial and particle-bound cadmium to a marine infaunal amphipod. Mar. envirl Res. 26: 135–153
Klump, J. V., Krezoski, J. R., Smith, M. E., Kaster, J. L. (1987). Dual tracer studies of the assimilation of an organic contaminant from sediments by deposit feeding oligochaetes. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sciences 44: 1574–1583
Landrum, P. F., Nihart, S. R., Eadie, B. J., Herche, L. R. (1987). Reduction in bioavailability of organic contaminants to the amphipodPontoporeia hoyi by dissolved organic matter of sediment interstitial waters. Envir. Toxic. Chem. 6: 11–20
Landrum, P. F., Reinhold, M. D. Nihart, S. R., Eadie, B. J. (1985). Predicting the bioavailability of organic xenobiotics toPontoporeia hoyi in the presence of humic and fulvic materials and natural dissolved organic matter. Envir. Toxic. Chem. 4: 459–467
Langston, W. J. (1984). Availability of arsensic to estuarine and marine organisms: a field and laboratory evaluation. Mar. Biol. 80: 143–154
Lee, R. F., Singer, S. C. (1980). Detoxifying enzymes system in marine polychaetes: increases in activity after exposure to aromatic hydrocarbons. Rapp. P.-v. Réun. Cons. perm. int. Explor. Mer 179: 29–32
Leversee, G. J., Landrum, P. F., Giesy, J. P., Fannin, T. (1983). Humic acids reduce bioaccumulation of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sciences 40 (Suppl. 2): 63–69
Luoma, S. N., Bryan, G. W. (1982). A statistical study of environmental factors controlling concentrations of heavy metals in the burrowing bivalveScrobicularia plana and the polychaeteNereis diversicolor. Estuar., cstl Shelf Sci. 15: 95–108
Luoma, S. N., Jenne, E. A. (1975). The availability of sedimentbound cobalt, silver and zinc to a deposit-feeding clam. In: Biological implications of metals in the environment. Energy Research and Development Administration, Springfield, Virginia, p. 213–230. (ERDA Symp. Ser. No. 42)
Lyes, M. C. (1979). Bioavailability of a hydrocarbon from water and sediment to the marine wormArenicola marina. Mar. Biol. 55: 121–127
Lynch, T. R., Johnson, H. E. (1982). Availability of a hexachlorobiphenyl isomer to benthic amphipods from experimentally contaminated natural sediments. In: Pearson, J. G., Foster, R. B., Bishop, W. E. (eds.) Aquatic toxicology and hazard assessment 766. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, p. 273–287
Mackay, D., Bobra, A., Shiu, W. Y. (1980). Relationships between aqueous solubility and octanol-water partition coefficients. Chemosphere (U.K.) 9: 701–711
Malins, D. C., Krahn, M. M., Myers, M. S., Rhodes, L. D., Brown, D. W., Krone, C. A., McCain, B. B., Chan, S.-L. (1985). Toxic chemicals in sediments and biota from a creosote-polluted harbor: relationships with hepatic neoplasms and other hepatic lesions in English sole (Parophrys vetulus). Carcinogenesis 6: 1463–1469
Matsumura, F. (1977). Absorption, accumulation and elimination of pesticides by aquatic organisms. In: Kahn, M. A. Q. (ed.) Pesticides in aquatic environments. Plenum Press, New York, p. 77–105
McCarthy, J. F. (1983). Role of particulate organic matter in decreasing accumulation of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons byDaphnia magna. Archs envir. Contam. Toxic. 12: 559–568
McElroy, A. E. (1985).In vivo metabolism of benz (a) anthracene by the polychaeteNereis virens. Mar. envirl Res. 17: 133–136
McElroy, A. E., Farrington, J. W., Teal, J. M. (1989). Bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the aquatic environment. In: Varanasi, U. (ed.) Metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the aquatic environment. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, p. 1–39
McLeese, D. W., Metcalfe, C. D., Pezzack, D. S. (1980). Uptake of PCBs from sediment byNereis virens andCrangon septemspinosa. Archs envir. Contam. Toxic. 9: 507–518.
Miller, M. M., Wasik, S. P., Huang, G.-L., Wan-Ying Shiu, S., Mackay, D. (1985). Relationships between octanol-water partition coefficient and aqueous solubility. Envir. Sci. Technol. 19: 522–529
Miramand, P., Germain, P., Camus, H. (1982). Uptake of americium and plutonium from contaminated sediments by three benthic species:Arenicola marina, Corophium volulator andScrobicularia plana. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 7: 59–65
Muir, D. C. G., Townsend, B. E., Lockhart, W. L. (1983). Bioavailability of six organic chemicals toChironomus tentans larvae in sediment and water. Envir. Toxic. Chem. 2: 269–281
Murphy, P. G., Murphy, J. V. (1971). Correlations between respiration and direct uptake of DDT in the mosquito fish,Gambusia affinis. Bull. envir. Contam. Toxic. 6: 581–588
Pavlou, S. P. (1984). The use of the equilibrium partitioning approach in determining safe levels of contaminants in marine sediments. In: Dickson, K. L., Maki, A. W., Brungs, W. A. (eds.) Fate and effects of sediment-bound chemicals in aquatic systems. Pergamon Press, New York, p. 388–412
Payne, J. F. (1977). Mixed function oxidases in marine organisms in relation to petroleum hydrocarbon metabolism and detection. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 8: 112–116
Penry, D. L., Jumars, P. A. (1987). Modeling animal guts as chemical reactors. Am. Nat. 129: 69–96
Pesch, C. E., Morgan D. (1978). Influence of sediment in copper toxicity tests with the polychaeteNeanthes arenaceodentata. Wat. Res. 12: 747–751
Radding, S. B., Mill, T., Gould, C. W., Liu, D. H., Johnson, H. L., Bomberger, D. C., Fojo, C. V. (1976). The environmental fate of selected polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D. C. (EPA 560/5-75-009)
Rapaport, R. A., Eisenrich, S. J. (1984). Chromatographic determination of octanol-water partition coefficients for 58 polychlorinated biphenyl congeners. Envir. Sci. Technol. 18: 163–170
Reichert, W. L., Le Eberhard, B.-T., Varanasi, U. (1985). Exposure of two species of deposit-feeding amphipods to sediment-associated [3H]benzo [a] pyrene: uptake, metabolism and covalent binding to tissue macromolecules. Aquat. Toxic 6: 45–56.
Roesijadi, G., Anderson, J. W., Blaylock, J. W. (1978a). Uptake of hydrocarbons from marine sediments contaminated with Prudhoe Bay crude oil: influence of feeding type of test species and availability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 35: 608–614
Roesijadi, G., Woodruff, D. L., Anderson, J. W. (1978b). Bioavailability of naphthalenes from marine sediments artificially contaminated with Prudhoe Bay crude oil. Envir. Pollut. 15: 223–229
Rossi, S. S. (1977). Bioavailability of petroleum hydrocarbons from water, sediments, and detritus to the the marine annelid,Neanthes arenaceodentata. In: Proceedings of the 1977 Oil Spill Conference. American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C. p. 621–625. (Publs Am. Petrol. Inst. No. 4284)
Self, R. F. L., Jumars, P. A. (1988). Cross-phyletic patterns of particle selection by deposit feeders. J. mar. Res. 46: 119–143
Servos, M. R., Muir, D. C. G. (1989). Effect of dissolved organic matter from Canadian Shield lakes on the bioavailability of 1, 3, 6, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin to the amphipodCrangonyx laurentianus. Envir. Toxic. Chem. 8: 141–150
Socha, S. B., Carpenter, R. (1987). Factors affecting pore water hydrocarbon concentrations in Puget Sound sediments. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 51: 1273–1284
Stein, J. E., Hom, T., Casillas, E., Friedman, A., Varanasi, U. (1987). Simultaneous exposure of English sole (Parophrys vetulus) to sediment-associated xenobiotics: Part 2—Chronic exposure to an urban estuarine sediment with added3H-benzo[a]pyrene and14C-polychlorinated biphenyls. Mar. envirl Res. 22: 123–149
Taghon, G. L., Greene, R. R. (in press). Effects of sediment protein concentration on feeding and growth rates ofAbarenicola pacifica Healy and Wells (Polychaeta: Abarencolidae). J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol.
Taghon, G. L., Jumars, P. A. (1984). Variable ingestion rate and its role in optimal foraging behavior of marine deposit feeders. Ecology 65: 549–558
Ueda, T., Nakamua, R., Suzuki, Y. (1976). Comparison of115mCd accumulation from sediments and sea water by polychaete worms. Bull. Jap. Soc. scient. Fish. 42: 299–306
Varanasi, U., Gmur, D. J. (1980). Metabolic activation and covalent binding of benzo [a] pyrene to deoxyribonucleic acid catalyzed by liver enzymes of marine fish. Biochem. Pharmac. 29: 753–761
Yang, S. K., Gelboin, H. V., Trump, B. N., Autrup, H. N., Harris, C. C. (1977). Metabolic activitation of benzo(a)pyrene and binding to DNA in cultured human bronchus. Cancer Res. 37: 1210–1215
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by M. G. Hadfield, Honolulu
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Weston, D.P. Hydrocarbon bioaccumulation from contaminated sediment by the deposit-feeding polychaeteAbarenicola pacifica . Mar. Biol. 107, 159–169 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01313253
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01313253