Trophic transfer of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons through the food web of the Fildes Peninsula, Antarctica

The Antarctic ecosystem is characterized by few consumer species and simple trophic levels (TLs), rendering it an ideal setting to investigate the environmental behavior of contaminants. The paper aims to assess the presence, sources and biomagnification behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of the Antarctic food web and is the first study of biomagnifications of PAHs in the Fildes Peninsula in Antarctica. Nine representative species from the Fildes Peninsula in Antarctica were sampled and evaluated for PAH presence. PAH concentrations ranged from 477.41 to 1237.54 ng/g lipid weight (lw) in the sampled Antarctic biota, with low molecular weight PAHs (naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, and fluorene) comprising the majority of the PAHs. PAHs concentrations were negatively correlated with TLs. Further, the food web magnification factor (FWMF) of ∑PAHs was 0.63, suggesting biodilution of PAHs along the TLs. Source analyses revealed that the PAHs mainly originated from petroleum contamination and the combustion of fossil fuels.