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Bioconcentration of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Pelagic Food Chain of the Ross Sea

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Ross Sea Ecology

Abstract

The phenomenon of bioconcentration of polychlorinated biphenyls in the pelagic food chain of the Ross Sea, Antarctica is described. The mean concentration of the sum of 50 congeners of PCB was 1ng g−l in phytoplankton, 4.23 ng g−1 in zooplankton, 9.39 ng g−1 (body burden) in silverfish and 124.76 ng g−1 in penguin liver. The values of bioconcentration factor (BCF) show that the largest increment in PCB concentration was from water to phytoplankton, and from fish to birds. This confirms the transfer of PCBs from ice pack to biota and their bioconcentration in the food web.

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Corsolini, S., Focardi, S. (2000). Bioconcentration of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Pelagic Food Chain of the Ross Sea. In: Faranda, F.M., Guglielmo, L., Ianora, A. (eds) Ross Sea Ecology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59607-0_42

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59607-0_42

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-64048-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-59607-0

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