Impact of Sediment-associated Contaminants on Benthic Species in Chesapeake Bay: Implications for Carbon and Contaminant
Transfer in Food Webs
The sediments of the Chesapeake Bay form a large reservoir of toxic compounds. Whether or not these sediment-bound toxicants affect the ecosystem – and to what extent – depends on if and how they enter the food chain. This study will test the hypothesis that toxic compounds first affect bottom-dwelling species, and are then transferred higher up the food chain, possibly to fish or even humans. Researchers will use microcosm studies to measure the availability of toxic compounds, the rate of uptake, the transfer between organisms, and the toxicity of trace elements released from contaminated sediments. Using representative benthic species, they will test the effect of these trace elements on living organisms and assess the subsequent movement of toxic compounds into the food chain.
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James G. Sanders, Gerhardt F. Riedel, Denise L. Breitburg and Cynthia C. Gilmour
Benedict Estuarine Research Center
The Academy of Natural Sciences
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