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MEPS 237:79-85 (2002)
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Abstract
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Assimilation of selenium from phytoplankton by three benthic invertebrates: effect of phytoplankton species
Christian E. Schlekat1,*, Byeong-Gweon Lee2, Samuel N. Luoma1
1US Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, 345 Middlefield Road, MS 465, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
2Chonnam National University, Department of Oceanography, Kwang Ju, South Korea
*Present address: US Borax Inc, 26877 Tourney Road, Valencia, California 91344, USA. E-mail: chris.schlekat@borax.com
ABSTRACT: Phytoplankton are an important source of selenium (Se) for aquatic invertebrates, which accumulate Se primarily through dietary ingestion. The extent to which Se bioavailability varies among different phytoplankton species could help explain
different bioaccumulation patterns observed for invertebrates in nature. We measured the efficiency with which 3 benthic invertebrates assimilated 75Se from 5 phytoplankton species using standard pulse-chase techniques. The invertebrates
included the amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus and the bivalves Macoma balthica and Potamocorbula amurensis. The phytoplankton species included Cryptomonas sp. (Cryptophyceae), Gymnodinium sanguinem (Dinophyceae),
Phaeodactylum tricornutum (Bacillariophyceae), Synechococcus sp. (Cyanophyceae) and Thalassiosira pseudonana (Bacillariophyceae). The range of Se assimilation efficiency (AE) by L. plumulosus (32.1 ± 1.8 to 69.5 ± 7.1%) was the
lowest of the 3 organisms. No relationship was observed between the proportion of Se in algal cell cytoplasm and Se AE by L. plumulosus, which is consistent with findings for assimilation of other trace elements by this organism. Se AE by M.
balthica (range: 58.0 ± 3.2 to 92.3 ± 6.0%) varied according to the proportion of cytoplasmic Se in algal cells (p < 0.0001, r2 = 0.868). P. amurensis assimilated between 78.3 ± 2.0 and 88.9 ± 3.6% of Se from algal cells, and the
relationship between cytoplasmic Se and Se AE was described by the following equation: Se AE = 69.2 + 0.22 x (% cytoplasmic Se) (p = 0.003, r2 = 0.405). This relationship suggests that P. amurensis assimilated
non-cytoplasmic Se from phytoplankton, perhaps through utilization of the glandular digestive pathway. Consistently high Se assimilation from algae by P. amurensis may contribute to elevated Se concentrations observed for this organism.
KEY WORDS: Selenium · Phytoplankton · Bivalves · Amphipods · Bioavailability
Full text in pdf format
Published in MEPS Vol.
237
(2002) on July 18
Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599.
Copyright © Inter-Research, Oldendorf/Luhe, 2002
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