From Water to Edible Fish. Transfer of Metals and Metalloids in the San Roque Reservoir (Córdoba, Argentina). Implications Associated with Fish Consumption.

MONFERRÁN, M. V.; GARNERO, P.; BISTONI, M.A.; ANBAR, A.; GORDON, G.W; WUNDERLIN, D.A.

ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2016 vol. 63 p. 48 - 60

1470-160X

The concentration ofMn, Fe, Zn, Cu, Cd, Cr, Ni, Ag, Mo, Nd, Al, Ce, As, Sr, Pb, Pt and Hg was analysed in water, sediments, and aquaticorganisms from the San Roque Reservoir (Córdoba-Argentina), sampled during the wetand dry season, to evaluate their transfer through the food web. Stable nitrogen(δ15N) isotopes were used to investigate trophic interactions. Accordingto this, samples were divided into three trophic groups: plankton, shrimp (Palaemonetesargentinus) and fish (Silverside, Odontesthesbonariensis). Liver and gills are the main heavy metal storage tissues infish. Hg and As concentrations in the muscle of O. bonariensis exceed the Oral Reference doses for metalsestablished by USEPA (2009). Trophic magnification factors (TMFs) for each elementwere determined from the slope of the regression between trace elementconcentrations and δ15N. CalculatedTMFs showed fundamental differences in the trophodynamics of the studiedelements during the wet and dry season in the San Roque Reservoir.Concentrations of Ni, Cd, Cr, Al, Mn, Fe, Mo, Ce, Nd, Pt and Pb during bothseasons, and Sr during the dry season, showed statistically significantdecreases (TMF<1) with increasing trophic levels. Thus these elements were trophicallydiluted in the San Roque food chain. Conversely, Cu, Ag and As (dry season)showed no significant relationships with trophic levels. Among the elementsstudied, Hg in the wet season, and Zn in the dry season were the only ones showinga statistically significant increase (TMF>1) in concentration with trophiclevel. Current results trigger the need for further studies to establishdifferential behaviour with different species within the aquatic web,particularly when evaluating the transfer of toxic elements to edibleorganisms, which could pose health risks to humans.