Digestive determinants of benzo[a]pyrene and phenanthrene bioaccumulation by a deposit‐feeding polychaete

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Abstract
The uptake of hydrophobic contaminants from ingested sediment can contribute significantly to body burdens of deposit feeders, and feeding behavior and digestive physiology can play important roles in bioaccumulation. We examined the uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by the deposit‐feeding polychaete Abarenicola pacifica in experiments in which worms were first acclimated to low or high organic carbon sediments with 0.08 or 0.45% total organic carbon, respectively and then transferred to low or high organic carbon test sediments contaminated with radiolabeled phenanthrene or benzo[a]pyrene. Ingestion rate was a strong determinant of rates (benzo[a]pyrene) or extents (phenanthrene) of PAH uptake. Ingestion rate measurements are essential in many types of bioaccumulation studies because differences in ingestion rates between sediment types may confound some traditional measures of bioavailability. Physiological acclimation to the low or high organic carbon sediments did not appear to affect PAH uptake from the test sediments, but acclimation did affect biotransformation capabilities, particularly for phenanthrene.