Accumulation of cadmium in a freshwater food chain experimental model

The study of food chain contamination in nature or in the laboratory requires precise definitions of some terms. A simplified model of a freshwater food chain has been elaborated to try to point out hazards related to the presence of cadmium in the aquatic environment. Three different species belonging to various trophic levels, but to the same aquatic systems were used. The required biological and analytical criteria are described. The time course of the experiment was 34 days starting with a 10-day contamination of the first trophic level (algae). The algae were then separated, washed with fresh medium, and given to the second trophic level (daphnids) to eat for 20 days. The third trophic level (fish) was then introduced for 4 days as a scavenger. The methodology was designed to determine the accumulation of cadmium by daphnids and then fish from the algal source. The results show a high direct bioaccumulation of cadmium in algae. The indirect bioaccumulation of daphnids was of the same order of magnitude, but for fish it was smaller. Nevertheless the cadmium transfer from daphnids to fish was obvious.