The transfer of65Zn and 59Fe along a Fucus serratus (L.)→ Littorina obtusata (L.) food chain

Abstract

In marine organisms the fresh-weight concentrations of the trace metals zinc and iron are 102–105 times the concentrations in sea water. Study of the transfer of these metals along marine food chains is of interest because of the possibility of their being pollutants of the marine environment. Also65Zn and 65Fe are released to the marine environment and have been found, in many instances, to be the predominant radionuclides in food chains leading to man (Lowman, Palumbo & South, 1957; Lowman, 1960; Osterberg, Pearcy & Curl, 1964; Preston, 1967). The transfer of these metals along marine food chains is thus of interest also in the context of human radiation exposure.