Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification of Mercury through Food Webs

Kidd, Karen A.; Clayden, Meredith G.; Jardine, Timothy D.

doi:10.1002/9781118146644.ch14

Cited by 64 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 235 publications

(301 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Hg is reported to bioaccumulate and biomagnify, and predators may have concentrations million times higher than the surrounding water [9], which can reach toxic levels in fish and fish eating wildlife [7]. This effect is usually linked to an increase in Hg by trophic position measured in δ 15 N [5][6][7][8]10], however, no partial correlation between δ 15 N and Tot-Hg has been significant in this study.…”

Section: Biomagnification and δ 15 Ncontrasting

confidence: 50%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Seasonal Variations in the Use of Profundal Habitat among Freshwater Fishes in Lake Norsjø, Southern Norway, and Subsequent Effects on Fish Mercury Concentrations

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study is based on monthly sampling of fish from grates mounted at an industrial water intake, located at a depth of 50 m in Lake Norsjø (Southern Norway) during the year 2014, to investigate seasonal variations in the use of the profundal habitat and subsequent variations in total Hg-concentrations in profundal fish. Data on various fish present in a cold and dark hypolimnion of a large, deep, dimictic lake within the upper temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere are rare. While predominant species such as A. charr (Salvelinus alpinus) and E. smelt (Osmerus eperlanus) were continuously present in this habitat, whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) occupied this habitat primarily during wintertime, while other common species like brown trout (Salmo trutta), perch (Perca fluviatilis) and northern pike (Esox lucius) were almost absent. Besides stomach analyses (diet) and biometry, stable isotope analyses (δ 15 N and δ 13 C) and total mercury (Tot-Hg) analyses were carried out on the caught fish. The δ 13 C signature and stomach analyses revealed a combined profundal-pelagic diet for all three species, A. charr with the most profundal-based diet. Length was the strongest predictor for Hg in whitefish and A. charr, while age was the strongest explanatory variable for Hg in E. smelt. A. charr was the only species exhibiting seasonal variation in Hg, highest during winter and spring.

show abstract

Section: Biomagnification and δ 15 Ncontrasting

confidence: 50%

“…Methylated Hg is an environmental pollutant of concern in aquatic environments [1][2][3][4], as it is accumulated in biota, and concentrations rise in accordance with trophic position [5][6][7][8][9][10]. Fish and fish-eating wildlife often have toxic concentrations of total Hg (Tot-Hg) as a result [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Variations in the Use of Profundal Habitat among Freshwater Fishes in Lake Norsjø, Southern Norway, and Subsequent Effects on Fish Mercury Concentrations

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…MeHg may be detrimental to organisms because it has negative impacts on their physiology, including acting as a neurotoxin and immunotoxin (Wolfe et al, 1998). Methylmercury will biomagnify in food webs by a factor of 4-10 per trophic step (Kidd et al, 2011;Lavoie et al, 2013). Hence, organisms feeding at high trophic levels may accrue high concentrations of MeHg.…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

Mercury concentrations in feathers of marine birds in Arctic Canada

Mallory

Braune

Provencher

et al. 2015

Marine Pollution Bulletin

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…In this example, we have a reasonable understanding of the mechanism responsible for this variation. Because commun- N but a higher input to the base of the food web; (B) similar inputs to the base of the food web but a higher rate of biomagnifications; and (C) similar rates of biomagnification but a longer food web (modified from Kidd et al [47]). …”

Section: Effects Of Contaminantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How do aquatic communities respond to contaminants? It depends on the ecological context

Clements

Hickey

Kidd

2012

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recognizing patterns in nature and using these observations to generate and test hypotheses are fundamental components of scientific inquiry [1]. The science of ecotoxicology aims to identify patterns that describe population and community responses to contaminants. Our ability to predict these responses is generally greatest for communities that change consistently in response to a specific contaminant or class of contaminants, thereby providing a direct path to extrapolation, hypothesis testing, and scientific inference (see Predicting the Effects of Contaminants). Although evidence suggests that some communities respond similarly to both natural and anthropogenic stressors [2], we know that regional variation in how communities are composed as a result of environmental, historical, biogeographical, or climatic factors complicates our ability to identify general patterns. Several studies have reported that the effects of contaminants on populations and communities vary along environmental In This Issue: ET&C FOCUSFocus articles are part of a regular series intended to sharpen understanding of current and emerging topics of interest to the scientific community.Abstract-Context dependency refers to variation in ecological patterns and processes across environmental or spatiotemporal gradients. Research on context dependency in basic ecology has focused primarily on variation in the relative importance of species interactions (e.g., competition and predation) among communities. In this Focus article, the authors extend this concept to include variation in responses of communities to contaminants and other anthropogenic stressors. Because the structure of communities varies naturally along environmental gradients, their responses to contaminants may also vary. Similar to the way in which aquatic toxicologists assess abiotic factors associated with contaminant bioavailability, observations about context dependency could be used to test hypotheses about ecological mechanisms responsible for differences in sensitivity among communities. Environ. Toxicol.

show abstract

Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification of Mercury through Food Webs

Cited by 64 publications

References 235 publications

Seasonal Variations in the Use of Profundal Habitat among Freshwater Fishes in Lake Norsjø, Southern Norway, and Subsequent Effects on Fish Mercury Concentrations

Seasonal Variations in the Use of Profundal Habitat among Freshwater Fishes in Lake Norsjø, Southern Norway, and Subsequent Effects on Fish Mercury Concentrations

Mercury concentrations in feathers of marine birds in Arctic Canada

How do aquatic communities respond to contaminants? It depends on the ecological context

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About