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Characterizing the Movement of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in an Avian Aquatic–Terrestrial Food Web
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Researchers tracked PFAS movement through an aquatic-terrestrial food web using tree swallows in Ontario, finding that PFOS biomagnified from both terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates to birds, while the transport of specific PFAS congeners was highly dependent on chain length and environmental compartment.
The movement of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through linked aquatic-terrestrial food webs is not well understood. Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) in such systems may be exposed to PFAS from multiple abiotic and/or biotic compartments. We show from fatty acid signatures and carbon stable isotopes that tree swallow nestlings in southwestern Ontario fed on both terrestrial and aquatic macroinvertebrates. The PFAS profiles of air, terrestrial invertebrates, and swallows were dominated by perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). Short-chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) were largely restricted to air, surface water, and sediment, and long-chain PFAAs were mainly found in aquatic invertebrates and tree swallows. PFOS, multiple long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids [perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)] and perfluorooctane sulfonamide precursors were estimated to bioaccumulate from air to tree swallows. PFOS bioaccumulated from air to terrestrial invertebrates, and PFOS, PFDA, and perfluorooctane sulfonamidoacetic acids (FOSAAs) bioaccumulated from water to aquatic invertebrates. PFOS showed biomagnification from both terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates to tree swallows, and PFDA and FOSAAs were also biomagnified from aquatic invertebrates to tree swallows. The movement of PFAS through aquatic-terrestrial food webs appears congener- and compartment-specific, challenging the understanding of PFAS exposure routes for multiple species involved in these food webs.
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A comprehensive review documents that PFAS compounds have been detected in virtually every environmental compartment and human matrix, causing reproductive toxicity, endocrine disruption, metabolic disruption, and immune effects across aquatic organisms, terrestrial animals, and humans. PFAS and microplastics share key exposure pathways and are frequently co-contaminants, as plastic surfaces sorb and transport PFAS into food chains and human bodies.
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Wild terrestrial mammals carry detectable PFAS contamination in their hair, with predatory species showing significantly higher concentrations than herbivores due to trophic biomagnification. Hair sampling is validated as a non-invasive biomonitoring tool, revealing that PFAS pollution pervades terrestrial food webs far beyond human and domestic animal populations.
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This review summarizes how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and their chemical substitutes accumulate and cause toxicity in terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, highlighting concerns about reproductive, developmental, and neurotoxic effects in organisms that form the base of food chains.
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