The Influence of Temperature and Chemical Hydrophobicity on Steady and Non-Steady State Polychlorinated Biphenyl Bioaccumulation in Temperate Fish

摘要

This thesis investigated the effects of temperature and chemical hydrophobicity on steady and non-steady state bioaccumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls over the lifetime of temperate freshwater fish. In Chapter 2, the elimination of congeners of logKow u3c 5.7 by yellow perch (Perca flavescens) was regulated by temperature-dependant metabolic rates. Congeners of logKow u3e 5.7 however, were not significantly eliminated at any temperature commonly encountered by temperate fishes. It was concluded that the bioaccumulation of congeners of logKow u3e 5.7 is regulated by energetically driven consumption rates. This conclusion was confirmed in Chapter 3, where it was determined that the majority of congeners of logKow u3e 6.8 did not achieve steady state within the lifetime of bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) or cisco (Coregonus artedii). The bioaccumulation of low Kow congeners was determined to be a function of temperature-driven physiological processes whereas high Kow congeners were related to ecological processes.