pp´DDT and pp´DDE Accumulation in a Food Chain of Lake Maggiore (Northern Italy): Testing Steady-State Condition

- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/espr2006.01.010 Background, Aims and Scope Although pp'DDT usage was strongly limited or banned in most parts of the world during the last three or four decades, the parent compound, its homologues and their metabolites still occur at levels which might pose a risk for many ecosystem components. A case of DDT pollution of industrial origin was discovered in 1996 in Lake Maggiore, the second largest (212 km2) and deepest (370 m) lake in Italy, causing concern for wildlife and human health. The extensive monitoring of many biotic and abiotic compartments which followed from 1998 in order to assess the pollution level and its trend in time, provided a great availability of data referring to DDT contamination of the different fish species of the lake. In this study, the recent contamination levels in selected fish species were compared to those measured in 1998 to evaluate the temporal pollution trend of the lake and its natural recovery, given that no remediation measures were carried out on the contaminated soils and sediments in this time span. Moreover, a modelling approach to test the equilibrium condition between water and pelagic fish species was used. Analytical results of pp'DDT and pp'DDE concentrations in lake water were used as input data in the bioenergetic model by Connolly & Pedersen (1988) to calculate concentrations in two fish species and to compare the predicted and the measured contamination. Methods Sampling and analytical determination of DDT homologues in lake water: Five water sampling campaigns were carried out from May 2002 to February 2004 in three sampling sites of Lake Maggiore. Suspended and dissolved pollutants were determined separately. Quantitative DDT homologue analyses were performed by HRGC coupled with ECD detection by the external standard method. Single water extracts were put together in correspondence with the stratification zones of the water column inferred on the basis of the temperature profile to improve analytical sensitivity. Selection of fish data: Concentrations of DDT and DDE in fishes were selected from recent literature (CIPAIS 2003, 2004). Bioaccumulation model: The bioenergetic model proposed by Connolly & Pedersen (1988) was used to assess the bioaccumulation of pp'DDT and pp'DDE of Alosa fallax (landlocked shad) and Coregonus spp. (whitefish), selected among the different species as representative of a secondary consumer level. Results and Discussion The average concentrations of pp'DDT and pp'DDE in water to be used as input data in the bioenergetic model were obtained considering all the concentrations measured at the three sampling stations in the epylimnion where the fish species considered in this study spend most of their life. The resulting values were 0.05 and 0.16 ng/L for pp'DDT and pp'DDE, respectively. Average measured pp'DDT and pp'DDE concentrations in landlocked shad were 0.81 +/- 0.39 and 1.69 +/- 0.71 mg/kg lipids, respectively, and were 0.29 +/- 0.12 and 1.06 +/- 0.41 mg/kg lipids for the whitefish. Calculated and measured values turned out to be in quite good agreement for pp'DDT, while measured pp'DDE concentrations were higher than expected on the basis of the bioenergetic model in both species. Probably metabolic transformations of pp'DDT accumulated in fish tissues in the past are responsible for the observed differences between calculated and expected pp'DDE concentrations in fish. Conclusions Pelagic fishes of Lake Maggiore seem to maintain the DDT accumulated during their life time and the most efficient mechanism responsible for the fish population recoveries is probably their generation changes; for this reason, equilibrium models cannot be used until negligible pp'DDT concentrations are reached in fish tissues. Recommendations and Outlook The limit proposed for pp'DDT in water by the EU Directive 2000/60, which will come in force in 2008, is 0.2 ng/L, four times higher than the average concentration measured in Lake Maggiore waters. Nevertheless, concentrations measured in Lake Maggiore fish were very close and sometimes exceeded the Maximum residue limits (MRLs) settled by the Italian legislation for foods (0.1 mg/kg w.w. for fish containing 5–20% lipid). It seems, therefore, that the 'environmental quality standard' of 0.2 ng/L cannot guarantee the suitability of fish for human consumption.     

Boosting freshwater fish conservation with high-resolution distribution mapping across a large territory

The lack of high-resolution distribution maps for freshwater species across large extents fundamentally challenges biodiversity conservation worldwide. We devised a simple framework to delineate the distributions of freshwater fishes in a high-resolution drainage map based on stacked species distribution models and expert information. We applied this framework to the entire Chinese freshwater fish fauna (>1600 species) to examine high-resolution biodiversity patterns and reveal potential conflicts between freshwater biodiversity and anthropogenic disturbances. The correlations between spatial patterns of biodiversity facets (species richness, endemicity, and phylogenetic diversity) were all significant (r = 0.43–0.98, p < 0.001). Areas with high values of different biodiversity facets overlapped with anthropogenic disturbances. Existing protected areas (PAs), covering 22% of China's territory, protected 25–29% of fish habitats, 16–23% of species, and 30–31% of priority conservation areas. Moreover, 6–21% of the species were completely unprotected. These results suggest the need for extending the network of PAs to ensure the conservation of China's freshwater fishes and the goods and services they provide. Specifically, middle to low reaches of large rivers and their associated lakes from northeast to southwest China hosted the most diverse species assemblages and thus should be the target of future expansions of the network of PAs. More generally, our framework, which can be used to draw high-resolution freshwater biodiversity maps combining species occurrence data and expert knowledge on species distribution, provides an efficient way to design PAs regardless of the ecosystem, taxonomic group, or region considered.     

利用脂肪酶提高鱼油中多不饱和脂肪酸(PUFAs)甘油酯

利用脂肪酶选择性的水解作用研究提高鱼油中多不饱和脂肪酸(PUFAs)甘油酯的含量.通过对5种不同来源脂肪酶的筛选,以来源于米曲霉脂肪酶为最佳酶种;同时研究该酶水解鱼油的最佳工艺条件:反应温度、加酶量、反应转速、添加剂影响;最后确定最佳的富集PUFAs甘油酯时间.在此工艺条件下,鱼油中EPA由3.0%提高到9.0%,DHA由4.3%提高到16.5%,EPA DHA由7.3%提高到25.5%.图3表1参8     

丘陵地区农牧渔生态系统的研究

经四年研究，本文提出了适宜丘陵地区的作物－猪－鱼复合生态系统模型。在该系统中，淡水鱼的养殖以半精养方式最佳。本文还讨论了半精养方式的混养结构、水质管理和饵料组合等配套技术。     

珠江三角洲淡水养殖沉积物及鱼体中DDTs和PAHs的残留与风险分析

采用GC-ECD和GC-MS分析了珠江三角洲淡水养殖鱼塘沉积物及鱼体中DDTs、PAHs的质量分数。结果表明,珠江三角洲地区鱼塘积物中DDTs质量分数范围为2.87～8.25ng·g-1,PAHs质量分数分布在61.76～196.05ng·g-1(干物质量)之间;鳙鱼、草鱼等5种鱼肌肉样品中DDTs质量分数为5.47～125.27ng·g-(1湿质量),PAHs质量分数为30.94～410.06ng·g-1(湿质量),5个品种鱼体内DDTs质量分数均未超过国家食用卫生标准。部分鱼塘中含有o,p’-DDT和p,p'-DDT,表明近期曾受到DDT污染。生态风险分析表明,珠江三角洲部分地区DDTs污染生态风险较高。     

Comparison of Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr, Sn, Mo Concentrations in Tissues of Fish (Roach and Perch) from Lake Baikal and Bratsk reservoir, Russia

Data on Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr, Sn, Mo concentrations in some food fish in Baikal Lake and Bratsk reservoir have been compared. The muscles, skin and gills of roach and perch (Rutilus rutilus and Perca fluviatis L.) were analysed. The conditions of atomic-emission analysis, detection limits, reproducibility, coefficients of transformation from the wet to dry mass and to an ash residue are reported. To verify accuracy, the results of reference samples OK-1 (Baikal perch) and OM-1 (Baikal roach) were used along with atomic-absorption and neutron-activation results of ashed and dried samples. The observed range of concentrations in tissues exceeds the probable analytical errors and reflects natural variability. The content of Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni and Cr in tissues of fish collected in the Bratsk reservoir from the conventionally uncontaminated and polluted sites correspond to the concentrations in tissues of similar fish from Lake Baikal. The latter are normal for fish of weakly mineralised oligotrophic reservoirs. The ranges of concentration in studied fish (roach and perch) consist of mg kg^–1 dry wt: in muscles-Zn(14–28), Cu(2.2–4.7), Pb(0.30–0.61); in skin-Zn(94–119), Cu(1.2–1.4), Pb(0.16–0.08); in gills-Zn(70–280), Cu(2.0–7.4), Pb(0.19–1.2).     

环境样品中非邻位取代共平面多氯联苯的测定

本文对测定实际环境样品中痕量非邻位取代共平面多氯联苯的方法进行了研究。样品萃取，净化后，经活性碳性层析分离，利用ＧＣ－ＥＣＤ毛细管柱双柱定性，外标法进行定量，测定了土壤和鱼肌肉中μｇ·ｋｇ＾－１数量级的３，３‘，４，４’－四氯联苯及ｎｇ·ｇｋｇ＾－１数量级的３，３‘，４’，５－五氯联苯。     

Conservation Benefits of Temperate Marine Protected Areas: Variation among Fish Species

Abstract:  Marine protected areas, and other fishery management systems that impart partial or total protection from fishing, are increasingly advocated as an essential management tool to ensure the sustainable use of marine resources. Beneficial effects for fish species are well documented for tropical and reef systems, but the effects of marine protected areas remain largely untested in temperate waters. We compared trends in sport-fishing catches of nine fish species in an area influenced by a large (500-km²) towed-fishing-gear restriction zone and in adjacent areas under conventional fishery management controls. Over the period 1973–2002 the mean reported weight of above-average-sized (trophy) fish of species with early age at maturity and limited home range was greatest within the area influenced by the fishing-gear restriction zone. The reported weight of trophy fish of species that mature early also declined less and more slowly over time within the area influenced by the fishing-gear restriction zone. Importantly, the mean reported weight of trophy fish of species that mature late and those that undertake extensive spatial movements declined at the same rate in all areas. Hence these species are likely to require protected areas >500 km² for effective protection. Our results also indicated that fish species with a localized distribution or high site fidelity may require additional protection from sport fishing to prevent declines in the number or size of fish within the local population.     

Social stimulation,nuptial colouration,androgens and immunocompetence in a sexual dimorphic cichlid fish

The nature of the costs maintaining honesty of sexual signalling in inter- and intrasexual interactions remains a contentious issue. For carotenoid-based colour ornaments, it has been hypothesized that the honesty of the signal is enforced when carotenoid allocation to colour expression is traded off against carotenoid availability for immunocompetence. In addition, honesty is enforced if androgens required for colour expression are immunosuppressive. We tested whether there is a trade-off between colour expression and immunocompetence in a lek-breeding haplochromine cichlid fish, Pundamilia nyererei, from Lake Victoria with a carotenoid-based nuptial dress. First, we showed that expression of red nuptial colouration and social rank in a group were positively correlated. We then successfully manipulated the level of colour advertisement by socially stimulating individually housed males with a rival male: Stimulated males developed larger areas of red nuptial colouration and had higher levels of circulating 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) than non-stimulated males. We subsequently tested the humoral immune response to a novel antigen (sheep red blood cells). There was no overall significant effect of social stimulation on antibody production, but in the stimulated males, the degree of red colouration and the antibody response were negatively correlated. This significant interaction between colour and treatment thus shows that the negative correlation between colouration and antibody production is dependent on the (manipulated) social environment. This study provides correlational and experimental evidence for a trade-off between expression of a sexual trait and one component of immune function in fish. We found no evidence for a direct effect of 11-KT on antibody production, and we discuss alternative mechanisms that could mediate the trade-off.     

用连续提取法研究芘在鱼鳃表面的结合形态

建立了研究鱼鳃表面芘的结合状态的四步连续提取方法．分别用H2O、CaCl2、CH3OH和n-C6H14+CH2Cl2(1:1, v/v)混合液提取经暴露的鱼鳃．操作定义的前3步分别提取松散附着在鳃表的鱼鳃黏液中的芘,紧密附着在鳃表的鱼鳃黏液中的芘以及直接吸着在鱼鳃表皮上的芘,第4步则用来提取鱼鳃组织吸收的芘．其提取的芘分别占总量的 4．0％、12．1％、45．2％和38．7％．经3 h暴露,进入鳃组织的芘仅为总测定量的三分之一强,因此大部分芘并未进入鳃组织．单独进行的五步CH3OH连续提取实验结果证明,CH3OH提取步骤能有效地解吸鳃表吸着的芘,但不会导致鳃组织中芘的释放．动态实验结果表明,黏液结合态芘在暴露1h左右即达到平衡,而鳃表吸着态和鳃组织吸收态芘在暴露3h内含量迅速上升,3 h后显著趋缓．