The potential effects of phytoplankton on the occurrence of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water from Lake Taihu, China

Seasonal distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their possible interactions with phytoplankton species in water from Lake Taihu were investigated. OCP concentrations ranged from 69.95 to 223.08 ng L-1 in winter and from 80.95 to 376.03 ng L-1 in summer, while PAHs ranged from 45.40 to 232.74 ng L-1 in winter and 49.53 to 197.72 ng L-1 in summer. Such physicochemical and biological parameters as the larger amounts of pollutants taken up by phytoplankton, the increased atmospheric wet deposition, the discharge of wastewater, and the resuspension of polluted sediments in summer time were responsible for the higher residues of both OCPs and PAHs than in winter. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) between phytoplankton biomass and micropollutants indicated high affinity of OCPs to Bacillariophyta and Cryptophyta and PAHs to Cyanophyta and Chlorophyta, documenting the ecological effects of phytoplankton on the biogeochemical processes of OCPs and PAHs and thus should be further investigated especially in hyper-eutrophic lakes.