DEVELOPMENT AND VERIFICATION OF A BENTHIC PELAGIC FOOD-WEB BIOACCUMULATION MODEL FOR PCB CONGENERS IN WESTERN LAKE-ERIE/

A mathematical model is described that estimates chemical concentratio ns in phytoplankton, zooplankton, filter-feeding and detritovorous ben thic invertebrates, and fish. Chemical concentrations are determined a t steady-state using conventional chemical, biological, and environmen tal data. Concentration data for 31 PCB congeners in 14 different fish species, five benthic invertebrate species, water and sediment collec ted from western Lake Erie, and corresponding feeding preference data were used to verify the model. The results illustrate that 95% of the observed concentrations in filter-feeding benthic invertebrates, detri tous feeding benthic invertebrates, and fish were within a factor of 1 .8, 1.9, and 2.0 of the model-predicted concentrations, respectively. The ability-of this model to predict contaminant transfer. in a comple x food web and its potential applicability to other food webs indicate that it could be an important tool for managing contaminants on an ec osystem level.