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Abstract
The concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediment and excrements of annelids was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and the movement of PAHs in the tidal flat was investigated. The PAH concentrations ranged 4.4–80.4 and 61.2–286.9 μg/kg-dry for the excrement of Arenicola basiliensis and of Marphysa sanguinea, respectively; the former contained about 10 times as much PAHs as the sediment and the latter about 100 times. The difference in the PAH concentration between the two organisms was attributed to their feeding behavior; M. sanguinea intakes much more detritus containing PAHs than A. basiliensis. Moreover, after the excrement of M. sanguinea had stood on the sediment for 2 hours, the PAH concentrations decreased to half. The reduction of the PAHs may arise from chemical changes owing to microorganisms and/or enzymes in the excrement of M. sanguinea.
This work was supported in part by Faculty of Science Special Grant for Promoting Scientific Research at Toho University and by KAKENHI (21710015) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.