An experiment on the transfer of zinc from marine unicellular algae Phaeo-dactylum tricornutum Bohlin to Mussel Mytilus edulis L. was carried out by using 65Zn as a tracer element during 5 days. The results show: 1. the ability of the mussels to accumulate zinc from the algae is 41.5 to 72.0 times higher than that of directly from sea water; 2. there is a transfer coefficient of 6.18% on the fifth day of the experiment; and 3. the amount of zinc in the mussels, however, never exceeds that in the algae durin...