Selenium bioaccumulation and biomagnification in Lake Wallace, New South Wales, Australia

Selenium concentrations were measured in water, sediments and organisms inhabiting a freshwater coal power station cooling reservoir. Se concentrations found were: water, 1.9 ± 2 μg L^-1; sediment, 7 ± 1 μg g^-1; phytoplankton, 3.4 μg g^-1; zooplankton, 5.3 μg g^-1; epiphytic algae, 1.3 ± 0.2 μg g^-1; benthic algae, 8 ± 2 μg g^-1; macrophyte leaves, 2.7-2.8 μg g^-1; macrophyte roots, 0.5-6.5 μg g^-1; detritus, 10 μg g^-1; Oligochaeta, 11 μg g^-1; Corbiculidae, 1.1 μg g^-1; Insects, 3.7-8.3 μg g^-1; Gastropoda, 3.2 μg g^-1; Crustacea, 3.1-6 μg g^-1; whole fish, 2.2-13 μg g^-1; and fish liver, 134-314 μg g^-1. Bioconcentration factors were similar to those found in aquatic ecosystems with comparable Se concentrations in the water column. A food web was constructed with four main food chains (phytoplankton, epiphytic algae, benthic algae and sediment/detrital), with fish fed from multiple pathways. Biomagnification only occurs along food chains for flathead gudgeons and rainbow trout. Se concentrations in food sources were above the 3 μg g^-1 dietary Se level considered to induce teratogenesis in fish spawning. Flathead gudgeons were found to be suffering teratogenesis and rainbow trout showed no evidence of teratogenesis.