Behavior of heavy elements in a simple prey-predator food chain

Abstract

This study investigated behaviors of U(VI) and Eu(III) in a simple microbial prey-predator food chain consisting of yeast and Paramecium. A fraction of the heavy elements fixed on yeast cells mainly as phosphates was dissolved, bound to large soluble molecules of Paramecium origin, and formed pseudocolloid. The fraction of the heavy elements dissolved from yeast was small, and most of the heavy elements fixed as phosphate on yeast cells was excreted from Paramecium cells into large organic membrane like precipitates of Paramecium origin. This result suggests that the deterrent effect on heavy element migration by microbial phosphatization of heavy element is mostly maintained in microbial food chain.