Trophic transfer of amphiphilic polymer coated CdSe/ZnS quantum dots to Danio rerio

To investigate the trophic transfer of nanomaterials along the food chain, we examined the potential trophic transfer and biomagnification of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) in a simple freshwater food chain. Our results indicate that QDs can transfer from zooplankton to Danio rerio (zebrafish) by dietary exposure. No significant biomagnification of QDs was observed and the biomagnification factors for both adult and juvenile zebrafish were both less than one (0.04 and 0.004 respectively). The assimilation efficiency was 8% and 4% for adult and juvenile zebrafish respectively. This study is the first to examine the potential food chain transfer and biomagnification of QDs from zooplankton to zebrafish.