2002 ARCSS All-Hands Workshop

Effects of Anthropogenic Nutrient Enrichment on Chlorinated Fatty Acids in Aleutian Amphipods and Implications to Steller's Eiders

Christopher A. Hoffman¹, Lilian Alessa², J. Kennish³, D. C. Pfeiffer⁴, P. Flint⁵, S. Jewett^6
1Department of Biology, University of Alaska, Anchorage, 3211 Providence Dr., Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA, Phone 907-786-1507, cjhoffman@gci.net
²Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska, Anchorage, 3211 Providence Dr., Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA
³Department of Chemistry, University of Alaska, Anchorage, 3211 Providence Dr., Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA
⁴Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, 3211 Providence Dr., Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA
⁵Biological Resources Division, United States Geological Survey, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA
⁶Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA

Development activities related to economic diversification are increasing in the Arctic. The U.S. breeding population of Steller's eider (STEI) is a threatened species of sea duck that winters and feeds in the Alaska Peninsula and eastern Aleutian Islands. It is commonly found in close proximity to developed areas specifically in correlation to seafood processing outfall lines which discharge into the nearshore ecosystem. The increased nutrient levels and organohalogens associated with seafood processing waste may have significant effects on the fatty acid composition of marine invertebrates, the main prey items of the STEI. In particular, Chlorinated Fatty Acids (CFAs), identified in fish both from Alaskan and Scandinavian waters, are major contributors of extractable, organically bound chlorine in animal lipids and may have toxic effects at higher trophic levels through bioaccumulation. While CFAs may occur naturally, anthropogenic sources may raise their concentration in living tissue. In toxicological studies of CFAs, the most pronounced effects have been found in reproductive processes, particularly in the male reproductive tract.

Currently, no data exist on the levels of CFAs in amphipod populations the winter feeding grounds of the STEI. This project has the following goals:
1. To determine and compare the distribution and profiles of non-chlorinated fatty acids and CFAs in marine invertebrates found in developed (impacted) versus non-developed (non-impacted) areas of the eastern Aleutian Islands.
2. To determine the rate of turnover of CFAs versus non-chlorinated analogs in invertebrate populations using radiolabeled fatty acids.
3. To determine the fate and diversity of CFAs at higher trophic levels using radiolabeled fatty acids.
4. To determine if CFAs are targeting the male and female reproductive system in a model organism and if so, what cell population(s).

If CFAs are assimilated like non-chlorinated fatty acids, are incorporated into membrane lipids and are recalcitrant to catabolism, they may give rise to ecotoxicological effects when released to the environment and accumulated in biota. Currently, these effects are unknown.

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