Using a non-steady state bioaccumulation model to investigate bioenergetic processes in aquatic food webs.

目前的污染物生物累积模型假设生物体与其环境之间实现稳态动力学。 然而，这些模型并不能解释在物种之间和物种内部观察到的体内化学负荷的变异性。 我们已经证明，稳态假设是无效的更疏水的有机污染物，我们预测，许多水生生物将不会达到稳态的许多化学品在其生命周期内的基础代谢所花费的时间的结果时，基本上是很少有能力消除化学品。 非稳态模型需要解释的污染物负荷中观察到的鱼类种群内的巨大的个体差异。 我们建议解决PCB和汞体内负荷的个体差异是否与化学品吸收或消除的差异有关。 此外，我们将使用非稳态方法来确定所观察到的鱼类化学积累的纬度模式是否与基础代谢（越冬）所花费的时间有关。 这些新的非稳定状态模型的开发和验证将提供关于调节自然种群个体变异性的过程的关键信息，还将为观察到的纬度梯度提供一种生态机制，即北极种群积累的化学品浓度高于热带种群，尽管许多令人关切的化学品仍在热带国家使用。

Current models of contaminant bioaccumulation assume that steady state kinetics are achieved between an organism at its environment. These models do not, however, explain the variability in chemical body burdens observed among and within species. We have demonstrated that steady state assumptions are invalid for the more hydrophobic organic pollutants, and we predict that many aquatic organisms will not achieve steady state for many chemicals within their life time as a result of the time spent at basal metabolism when essentially there is very little capacity to eliminate chemicals. Non-steady state models are required to explain the large individual differences in contaminant burdens observed within fish populations. We propose to resolve if individual differences in PCB and Hg body burdens are related to differences in chemical uptake or elimination. Furthermore, we will use a non -steady state approach to determine if the observed latitudinal patterns of chemical accumulation in fish are related to the amount of time spent at basal metabolism (overwintering). Development and verification of these novel non- steady state models will provide critical information on the processes the regulate individual variability in natural populations and will also provide an ecological mechanism for the latitudinal gradients observed where arctic populations accumulate higher chemical concentrations than tropical populations even though many of the chemicals of concern remain in use in tropical countries.