A Comparison of Metal Accumulation in Arctic and Temperate Marine Organisms

首席研究员将比较北极和温带三种生物种群对金属和核废料相关放射性核素的生物积累。在对当地人口的生计至关重要的陆生和水生生物中经常观察到高浓度的重金属和放射性核素。因此，这些元素可能在北极有大量来源和/或通过北极食物链从环境中有效积累金属。放射性物质在爱尔兰海、北大西洋和俄罗斯北极地区的大规模受控排放已引起人们对敏感的商业和自给渔业影响的关注。对北极人为放射性核素和重金属构成的危险进行风险评估背后的一个基本假设是，在温带条件下对温带生物进行的生物积累和营养转移研究适用于北极。本研究将直接和系统地解决这一假设。评估金属积累的标准放射性示踪剂方法将用于比较三种物种对金属的吸收：蛤蜊，Macoma balthica；贻贝;Mytilis鸡蛋果;以及褐藻，即墨角藻。这些物种要么被人类或对当地饮食重要的生物吃掉，要么被广泛用于生物监测项目。将使用六种放射性同位素：137Cs， 241Am, 109Cd, 203Hg， 65Zn和110mAg。它们代表放射性废物的成分（131c, 241Am， 110mg和65Zn）或在北极和其他地方的生物体软组织中发现的高含量金属（Ag, Zn, Cd, Hg）。这些金属在粒子反应性、与蛋白质的关联以及生物功能方面也具有广泛的作用。整个生物体对放射性核素吸收和损失的温度依赖性将直接在北极和温带各物种种群之间进行比较。这项研究的结果将有三个应用：1)北极生物对金属和放射性核素的吸收和损失将改进对人为金属和放射性核素对当地种群构成的危险的评估；2)结果将促进对目标生物组织的地理变异的解释；3)研究结果将有助于建立一个基线，这将提高我们对温度和适应对海洋生物中金属积累影响背后机制的理解。

Abstract OPP-9986069FisherThe Principal Investigator will compare the bioaccumulation of metals and nuclear-waste associated radionuclides by Arctic and temperate populations of three organisms. High concentrations of heavy metals and radionuclides are often observed in terrestrial and aquatic organisms that are key to the livelihood of native human populations. Thus, there may be large sources for these elements in the Arctic and/or efficient accumulation of metals and from the environment by Arctic food chains. The large scale controlled discharge of radioactive materials in the Irish Sea, the North Atlantic, and the Russian Arctic has generated concern about impacts on sensitive commercial and subsistence fisheries. A fundamental assumption behind risk assessments of the danger posed by anthropogenic radionuclides and heavy metals in the Arctic is that bioaccumulation and trophic transfer studies conducted on temperate organisms under temperate conditions are applicable to the Arctic. This study will address this assumption directly and systematically.Standard radiotracer methods of assessing metal accumulation will be used to compare uptake of metals into three species: clams, Macoma balthica; mussels; Mytilis edulis; and brown alga, Fucus vesiculosus. These species are either eaten by humans or organisms important to native diets, or are used extensively in biomonitoring programs. Six radioisotopes will be used: 137Cs, 241Am, 109Cd, 203Hg, 65Zn, and 110mAg. They represent either components of radioactive waste material (131Cs, 241Am, 110mAg and 65Zn) or metals which are found at high levels in the soft tissues of organisms in the Arctic and elsewhere (Ag, Zn, Cd, Hg). These metals also span a wide range in particle reactivity, association with proteins and biological function. The temperature dependence of radionuclide uptake and loss in whole organisms will be directly compared between Arctic and temperate populations of each species.The results of this study will have three applications: 1) the uptake and loss of metals and radionuclides from Arctic organisms will improve assessments of the danger posed to native populations by anthropogenic metals and radionuclides: 2) the results will advance the interpretation of geographic variability in target organism tissues; and 3) the results will help establish a baseline that will improve our understanding of the mechanisms behind the effects of temperature and adaptation on the accumulation of metals in marine organisms.