Mercury levels in sediment and predatory fish were measured for 53 localities in Suriname. The average mercury level in bottom sediment surpassed the Canadian standard for sediment in most localities, except the coastal plains. Of the predatory fish, 41 % had a mercury level above the European Union standard for human consumption of 0.5 lg g -1 . Highest mercury levels were found in fish from the Brokopondo Reservoir and from the Upper Coppename River. High levels of mercury in fish in pristine areas are explained by atmospheric transportation of mercury with the northeastern trade winds followed by wet deposition. Contrary to gold mining areas, where mercury is bound to drifting sediments, in ''pristine'' areas the mercury is freely available for bio-accumulation and uptake. Impacts on piscivorous reptiles, birds, and mammals are unknown, but likely to be negative.

Aim  To investigate whether trait–habitat relations in biological communities converge across three global regions. The goal is to assess the role of habitat templets in shaping trait assemblages when different assembly mechanisms are operating and to test whether trait–habitat relations reflect a common evolutionary history or environmental trait filters. Location  Guiana Shield, South America; Upper Guinea Forest Block, West Africa; Borneo rain forests, Southeast Asia. Methods  We compared large anuran amphibian data sets at both the regional and cross‐continental scale. We applied a combination of three‐table ordinations (RLQ) and permutation model‐based multivariate fourth‐corner statistics to test for trait–habitat relationships at both scales and used phylogenetic comparative methods to quantify phylogenetic signal in traits that enter these analyses. Results  Despite the existence of significant trait–habitat links and congruent trait patterns, we did not find evidence for the existence of a universal trait–habitat relationship at the assemblage level and no clear sign for cross‐continental convergence of trait–habitat relations. Patterns rather varied between continents. Despite the fact that a number of traits were conserved across phylogenies, the phylogenetic signal varied between regions. Trait–habitat relations therefore not only reflect a common evolutionary history, but also more recently operating environmental trait filters that ultimately determine the trait composition in regional assemblages. Main conclusions  Integrating trait–habitat links into analyses of biological assemblages can enhance the predictive power and general application of species assembly rules in community and macroecology, particularly when phylogenetic comparative methods are simultaneously applied. However, in order to predict trait composition based on habitat templets, trait–habitat links cannot be assumed to be universal but rather have to be individually established in different regions prior to model building. Only then can direct trait‐based approaches be useful tools for predicting fundamental community patterns.

Previous research has found that women and children living in rural, interior communities in Suriname have high concentrations of mercury in hair. Freshwater fish from these areas also have high concentrations of mercury. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining operations in parts of the country use elemental mercury to extract gold from soils and sediments. Total mercury and methylmercury concentrations have been determined in hair and blood from pregnant women across the country. Pregnant women from interior communities have significantly higher concentrations of both total and methylmercury in hair (median total mercury in hair 3.64 μg/g) compared with pregnant women from two urban coastal cities, Paramaribo (0.63 μg/g) and Nickerie (0.74 μg/g). Total and methylmercury concentrations in blood and hair are highly correlated ( r =0.986, r =0.974) with methylmercury making up 86% of the total in blood and 97% of the total in hair. Most women in the interior regions rely heavily on local fish as part of their regular diet, and many live outsides of areas with active ASGM operations. This study demonstrates that diet and fish consumption largely govern mercury exposures in pregnant women in Suriname.

PurposeThe Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health prospective environmental epidemiologic cohort study addresses the impact of chemical and non-chemical environmental exposures on mother/child dyads in Suriname. The study determines associations between levels of environmental elements and toxicants in pregnant women, and birth outcomes and neurodevelopment in their children.ParticipantsPregnant women (N=1143) were enrolled from December 2016 to July 2019 from three regions of Suriname: Paramaribo (N=738), Nickerie (N=204) and the tropical rainforest interior (N=201). Infants (N=992) were enrolled at birth. Follow-up will take place until children are 48 months old.Findings to dateBiospecimens and questionnaire data on physiological and psychosocial health in pregnant women have been analysed. 39.1% had hair mercury (Hg) levels exceeding values considered safe by international standards. Median hair Hg concentrations in women from Paramaribo (N=522) were 0.64 µg/g hair (IQRs 0.36–1.09; range 0.00–7.12), from Nickerie (N=176) 0.73 µg/g (IQR 0.45–1.05; range 0.00–5.79) and the interior (N=178) 3.48 µg/g (IQR 1.92–7.39; range 0.38–18.20). 96.1% of women ate fish, respective consumption of the three most consumed carnivorous species, Hoplias aimara, Serrasalmus rhombeus and Cichla ocellaris, known to have high Hg levels, was 44.4%, 19.3% and 26.3%, respectively, and was greater among the interior subcohort. 89% frequently consumed the vegetable tannia, samples of which showed presence of worldwide banned pesticides. 24.9% of pregnant women had Edinburgh Depression Scale scores indicative of probable depression.Future plansFish consumption advisories are in development, especially relevant to interior women for whom fish consumption is likely to be the primary source of Hg exposure. Effects of potentially beneficial neuroprotective factors in fish that may counter neurotoxic effects of Hg are being examined. A pesticide literacy assessment in pregnant women is in progress. Neurodevelopmental assessments and telomere length measurements of the children to evaluate long-term effects of prenatal exposures to toxicant mixtures are ongoing.

Natural sources of mercury, historical gold mining, and contemporary artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) activities have led to mercury contamination in Suriname. Our primary objective was to evaluate mercury levels in hair of women and children from interior villages in Suriname where mercury levels in fish are elevated. We also estimated blood levels of mercury using an established mathematical conversion to facilitate comparison with other biomonitoring programs in the United States. Estimated levels of mercury in the blood of participants from Suriname were significantly higher than those in women from a heavy marine fish-consuming population in southeast Louisiana and estimates of the US national average. This includes women from Surinamese villages well upstream of ASGM activities. Since residents in these areas rely heavily on local fish, this is likely the source of their exposure to mercury. The levels in hair are similar to those seen in women from longitudinal studies finding neurological impairments in children exposed pre- and postnatally. Additional biomonitoring and neurodevelopmental assessments are warranted in these areas, as well as other areas of the Suriname. Mercury levels in hair (Suriname) and blood (southeast LA USA) were determined using cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy (CVAAS).

In this study we compared the medium and long term effects of logging on tropical rain forest ecosystems in Suriname using reduced impact logging (RIL), CELOS Management System (CMS), and conventional logging (CL) with forest without logging (NAT). In 18 forest plots with different times since logging ended and 9 unlogged forest plots, assessments were conducted on indicators of forest structure and vegetation composition. These indicators were then modelled as a function of management type and plot age. Multivariate ordination was used to visualize forest structure and vegetation composition differences between plots. High vegetation cover in the tree layer was more related to the older RIL and the CL plots, while high vegetation cover in the sapling and seedling layer related more to the CMS and NAT plots. Canopy openness was more related to the NAT, the CMS and the younger RIL plots. Furthermore, the CMS plots, which were logged 30 years ago, still did not reach the basal area of commercially important primary forest species, compared to unlogged forest. Both RIL and CMS plots have a strong presence of secondary species. This study shows the importance of applying the RIL technique correctly and taking forest characteristics and ecological processes into account when developing forest management principles. Forest management systems should also be flexible enough to adapt to area specific requirements, for example, increasing the rotation cycle if the timber volume is not on the desired level. In this way, both conservation and economic goals are reached.

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