Aromatic in zooplankton

Recent Advances in the Determination of Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Zooplankton and Macrofaima... 

One advantage of this rapid release of aromatic hydrocarbons accumulated from acute exposure would apply to exposure from spills and other acute events. If the event is only a few days in duration, it is highly probable that most of the accumulated aromatic hydrocarbons would be eliminated and or metabolized to low levels, depending on the species. For example, tissue concentrations of anthracene, fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, and benz[a] anthracene in zooplankton (primarily Pseudocalanus minutus) were not persistent and declined to below detection concentrations (0.1 tg/g) during the 9 d after a pulse of oil was added to a mesocosm (Lee et al. 1978). Conversely, the chronic exposure seems to produce tissue burdens that are relatively stable, especially for the more hydrophobic of the PAHs. 

Prahl, F.G., and Carpenter, R. (1979) The role of zooplankton fecal pellets in the sedimentation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Dabob Bay, Washington. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 44, 1967-1976. 

Distributions of carotenoids can be characteristic for various groups of photosynthetic organisms. Fucoxan-thin is characteristic of diatoms (BaciUariophyceae) and peridinin is found in many dinoflagellates (Dinophyceae Fig. 2.23). In contrast, diatoxanthin and diadinoxanthin occur in many phytoplanktonic classes due to their xanthophyll cycle role (Fig. 2.25).Although it is a less specific marker compound, (3-carotene is abundant in cyanobacteria. Photosynthetic bacteria produce acyclic and aromatic carotenoids (e.g. lycopene and okenone, respectively Fig. 2.23). Astaxanthin and its esters are major constituents of marine zooplankton (Fig. 2.23). 

For the removal of biogenic olefins from the aromatic fraction of a macrofauna or zooplankton extract, we discarded the GPC fraction that eluted prior to n-dodecane. The later eluting fraction, which would contain any aromatic hydrocarbons present (including any of the alkyl homologues commonly found in petroleum), was collected and analyzed by gas chromatography. A gas chromatogram of the aromatic fraction... 

By applying this GPC cleanup procedure to dozens of zooplankton samples, we have been able to determine by GC analysis alone that very few of the samples contained any aromatic hydrocarbons at levels of 0.01 fxg/g wet weight or higher. Without the GPC cleanup, GC analysis would have been of no value in determining whether or not the samples contained aromatic hydrocarbons at such a low level. 

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