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Seasonal variation in food web-based transfer factors of radiocesium in white-spotted char (Salvelinus leucomaenis) from headwater streams

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Abstract

The seasonal variability of food web-based transfer factors (TF web) of radiocesium (137Cs) in white-spotted char (Salvelinus leucomaenis) was examined in the 2nd and 3rd year after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Two headwater streams with similar landscape characteristics, but different amounts of fallout, were selected in Fukushima and Gunma Prefectures, Japan. The TF web of predator–prey systems was based on the dietary contributions of prey items estimated from stable isotopes compared to their respective 137Cs activity concentrations. Char consumed more terrestrial food sources with higher contamination levels in summer than in winter based on their dietary-based 137Cs contributions. The TF web values in Fukushima and Gunma in all seasons indicated 137Cs bioaccumulation from prey to predator. The TF web in Gunma exhibited significant seasonal variation; the greatest values were observed in winter, while the lowest values were observed in summer. In contrast, the seasonal TF web in Fukushima did not vary seasonally. Despite similar consumption patterns and the specific metabolic rates of char, the different seasonal patterns of TF web at the two sites can be explained by the relative excretion rate with respect to the concentration of 137Cs consumed. 137Cs levels can remain relatively constant in the char body throughout the year in areas with high contamination, such as Fukushima, possibly because 137Cs intake overwhelms the excretion rate. Examining seasonal patterns in the transfer processes of 137Cs in white-spotted char are essential for understanding mechanisms of 137Cs accumulation in aquatic biota.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all of the members of the Watershed Hydrology and Ecosystem Management Laboratory, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), for their cooperation. We extend special thanks to Kengo Okada, Aimu Iwamoto, and Kunihiro Totsuka at TUAT for providing the field data and contributing to proactive discussions to improve our understanding of seasonal variability of TF web between the two sites. This study was aided financially by the Environmental Research Fund (4ZD-1202) from the Ministry of Environment, Japan, and also in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Nos. 24248058 and 16H02556 for T. Gomi and No. 15H04511 for H. Toda of TUAT) from the Japan Society for Promotion of Science. The authors would like to thank the editor and the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions which improved the quality of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Symbiotic Science of Environment and Natural Resources, United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan

    M. E. Haque

  2. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1342, Bangladesh

    M. E. Haque

  3. Department of International Environmental and Agricultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Agriculture and Technology Tokyo, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan

    T. Gomi

  4. Department of Integrated Science and Engineering for Sustainable Society, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University, 1-13-27 Kasuga, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8551, Japan

    M. Sakai

  5. Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, N10, W5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0860, Japan

    J. N. Negishi

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  1. M. E. Haque
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  2. T. Gomi
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  3. M. Sakai
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  4. J. N. Negishi
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Correspondence to M. E. Haque.

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Haque, M.E., Gomi, T., Sakai, M. et al. Seasonal variation in food web-based transfer factors of radiocesium in white-spotted char (Salvelinus leucomaenis) from headwater streams. Landscape Ecol Eng 14, 45–53 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-016-0324-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-016-0324-4

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