Accumulation of 13C-labelled phenanthrene in phytoplankton and transfer to corals resolved using cavity ring-down spectroscopy
Type
ArticleAuthors
Ashok, Ananya
Kottuparambil, Sreejith
Høj, Lone
Negri, Andrew P.
Duarte, Carlos M.

Agusti, Susana

KAUST Department
Marine Science ProgramBiological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division
Red Sea Research Center (RSRC)
Date
2020-04-01Online Publication Date
2020-04-01Print Publication Date
2020-06Embargo End Date
2020-12-02Submitted Date
2019-12-02Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/662449
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread pollutants in marine ecosystems including threatened and potentially sensitive coral reefs. Lower organisms such as phytoplankton, known to bioconcentrate PAHs, could serve as potential entry points for these chemicals into higher trophic levels. Here, we present a novel method using a 13C-labelled PAH and cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) to investigate accumulation, uptake rates and trophic transfer of PAHs in corals, which are key organisms to sustain biodiversity in tropical seas. We quantified the accumulation of 13C-phenanthrene in the marine microalga Dunaliella salina, and in the coral Acropora millepora after diffusive uptake from seawater or dietary uptake via labelled D. salina. Additionally, we monitored the photophysiological health of D. salina and A. millepora during phenanthrene exposure by pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry. Dose-dependent accumulation of 13C-phenanthrene in the microalga showed a mean bioconcentration factor (BCF) of 2590 ± 787 L kg−1 dry weight. Corals accumulated phenanthrene from both exposure routes. While uptake of 13C-phenanthrene in corals was faster through aqueous exposure than dietary exposure, passive diffusion showed larger variability between individuals and both routes resulted in accumulation of similar concentrations of phenanthrene. The 13C-PAH labelling and analysis by CRDS proved to be a highly sensitive method. The use of stable isotopic label eliminated additional toxicity and risks by radioactive isotopic-labelling, and CRDS reduced the analytical complexity of PAH (less biomass, no extraction, fast analysis). The simultaneous, precise quantification of both carbon content and 13C/12C ratio (δ13C) enabled accurate determination of 13C-phenanthrene accumulation and uptake rate. This is the first study to provide empirical evidence for accumulation of phenanthrene in a phytoplankton-coral food chain.Citation
Ashok, A., Kottuparambil, S., Høj, L., Negri, A. P., Duarte, C. M., & Agustí, S. (2020). Accumulation of 13C-labelled phenanthrene in phytoplankton and transfer to corals resolved using cavity ring-down spectroscopy. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 196, 110511. doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110511Sponsors
This research was funded by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) through baseline funding to S. Agustí, start-up funding to C.M. Duarte and a center partnership project between the Red Sea Research Center (RSRC) and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). This research also benefited from resources of the Core Labs of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). We thank Florita Flores, Diane Brinkman and Biying Wu for their help in conducting the experiments, SeaSim staff at AIMS for providing their expertise and assistance, and Paloma Carrillo de Albornoz for help with Picarro-CRDS analysis.Publisher
Elsevier BVPubMed ID
32247239Additional Links
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S014765132030350Xae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110511
Scopus Count
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