Is there a BMAA transfer in the pelagic and benthic food webs in the Baltic Sea?

Abstract

The evidence regarding BMAA occurrence in the Baltic Sea is contradictory, with benthic sources appearing to be more important than pelagic ones. The latter is counterintuitive considering that pelagic primary producers, such as diatoms, dinoflagellates, and cyanobacteria, are the only plausible source of this compound in the food webs. To elucidate BMAA distribution in trophic pathways, we analyzed BMAA in the pelagic and benthic food webs sampled in summer 2010 in the Northern Baltic Proper. As potential BMAA sources, phytoplankton communities in early and late summer were used. As pelagic consumers, zooplankton, mysids and zooplanktivorous fish (herring) were used, whereas benthic invertebrates (amphipods, priapulids, polychaetes, and clams) and benthivorous fish (perch and flounder) represented the benthic food chain. To establish the trophic structure of the system, the stable isotope ({delta}13C and {delta}15N) composition of its components was determined. Contrary to the reported ubiquitous occurrence of BMAA in the Baltic food webs, only phytoplankton and lower consumers (zooplankton and mysids) of the pelagic food chain tested positive. Given that our analytical approaches were adequate, we conclude that no measurable levels of this compound occurred in the benthic invertebrates and any of the tested fish species in the study area. These findings indicate that widely assumed presence and transfer of BMAA to the top consumers in the food webs of the Baltic Sea and, possibly, other systems remain an open question. More controlled experiments and field observations are needed to understand the transfer and possible transformation of BMAA in the food web under various environmental settings.