Bioconcentration, bioaccumulation and biomagnification of mercury in plankton of the Mediterranean Sea

Tesán-Onrubia, Javier Angel; Heimbürger-Boavida, Lars-Eric; Dufour, Aurélie; Harmelin-Vivien, Mireille; García-Arévalo, Isabel; Knoery, Joël; Thomas, Bastien; Carlotti, François; Tedetti, Marc; Bănaru, Daniela

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115439

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 101 publications

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“…Therefore, most of the literature data on Hg concentrations refer to wide ranges of planktonic cell sizes (e.g., [81]). Recently, Tesán-Onrubia et al [79] measured total Hg and MMHg concentrations in different size fractions of Mediterranean phyto-and zooplankton. They found a decrease in total Hg and MeHg concentrations with increasing phytoplankton cell sizes (Figure 2).…”

Section: Methylmercury Biomagnification In Mediterranean Food Webs An...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mercury Biogeochemistry and Biomagnification in the Mediterranean Sea: Current Knowledge and Future Prospects in the Context of Climate Change

Bargagli,

Rota

2024

Coasts

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In the 1970s, the discovery of much higher mercury (Hg) concentrations in Mediterranean fish than in related species of the same size from the Atlantic Ocean raised serious concerns about the possible health effects of neurotoxic monomethylmercury (MMHg) on end consumers. After 50 years, the cycling and fluxes of the different chemical forms of the metal between air, land, and marine environments are still not well defined. However, current knowledge indicates that the anomalous Hg accumulation in Mediterranean organisms is mainly due to the re-mineralization of organic material, which favors the activity of methylating microorganisms and increases MMHg concentrations in low-oxygen waters. The compound is efficiently bio-concentrated by very small phytoplankton cells, which develop in Mediterranean oligotrophic and phosphorous-limited waters and are then transferred to grazing zooplankton. The enhanced bioavailability of MMHg together with the slow growth of organisms and more complex and longer Mediterranean food webs could be responsible for its anomalous accumulation in tuna and other long-lived predatory species. The Mediterranean Sea is a “hotspot” of climate change and has a rich biodiversity, and the increasing temperature, salinity, acidification, and stratification of seawater will likely reduce primary production and change the composition of plankton communities. These changes will likely affect the accumulation of MMHg at lower trophic levels and the biomagnification of its concentrations along the food web; however, changes are difficult to predict. The increased evasion of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg°) from warming surface waters and lower primary productivity could decrease the Hg availability for biotic (and possibly abiotic) methylation processes, but lower oxygen concentrations in deep waters, more complex food webs, and the reduced growth of top predators could increase their MMHg content. Despite uncertainties, in Mediterranean regions historically affected by Hg inputs from anthropogenic and geogenic sources, such as those in the northwestern Mediterranean and the northern Adriatic Sea, rising seawater levels, river flooding, and storms will likely favor the mobilization of Hg and organic matter and will likely maintain high Hg bioaccumulation rates for a long time. Long-term studies will, therefore, be necessary to evaluate the impact of climate change on continental Hg inputs in the Mediterranean basin, on air–sea exchanges, on possible changes in the composition of biotic communities, and on MMHg formation and its biomagnification along food webs. In this context, to safeguard the health of heavy consumers of local seafood, it appears necessary to develop information campaigns, promote initiatives for the consumption of marine organisms at lower trophic levels, and organize large-scale surveys of Hg accumulation in the hair or urine of the most exposed population groups.

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Section: Methylmercury Biomagnification In Mediterranean Food Webs An...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Total Hg accumulation and MeHg biomagnification at the lower levels of the Mediterranean food web. Concentrations (ng g −1 dw) in phyto-and zooplankton of different sizes from[79]; those in different macrozooplankton taxa are from[80].…”

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confidence: 99%

Mercury Biogeochemistry and Biomagnification in the Mediterranean Sea: Current Knowledge and Future Prospects in the Context of Climate Change

Bargagli,

Rota

2024

Coasts

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“…This process leads to higher concentrations of mercury in organisms at higher trophic levels due to biomagnification. As a result, predatory fish and marine mammals can accumulate significant levels of mercury …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, predatory fish and marine mammals can accumulate significant levels of mercury. 21 Humans can be exposed to mercury through the consumption of contaminated fish and seafood. When humans consume fish containing MeHg, it can be absorbed into their bodies and distributed to various tissues, including the brain, where it can cause adverse health effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Toxicity of Mercury and Its Chemical Compounds: Molecular Mechanisms and Environmental and Human Health Implications: A Comprehensive Review

Wu,

Osman,

Hosny

et al. 2024

ACS Omega

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Mercury is a type of hazardous and toxic pollutant that can result in detrimental effects on the environment and human health. This review is aimed at discussing the state-of-the-art progress on the recent developments on the toxicity of mercury and its chemical compounds. More than 210 recent works of literature are covered in this review. It first delineates the types (covering elemental mercury, inorganic mercury compounds, organic mercury compounds), structures, and sources of mercury. It then discusses the pharmacokinetic profile of mercury, molecular mechanisms of mercury toxicity, and clinical manifestation of acute and chronic mercury toxicity to public health. It also elucidates the mercury toxicity to the environment and human health in detail, covering ecotoxicity, neurotoxicity diseases, neurological diseases, genotoxicity and gene regulation, immunogenicity, pregnancy and reproductive system damage, cancer promotion, cardiotoxicity, pulmonary diseases, and renal disease. In order to mitigate the adverse effects of mercury, strategies to overcome mercury toxicity are recommended. Finally, some future perspectives are provided in order to advance this field of research in the future.

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“…In addition to being highly toxic, monomethylHg (MMHg) is the most available form of Hg for phytoplankton (e.g., Gosnell & Mason, 2015;Lee & Fisher, 2017). Moreover, it is the chemical species that biomagnifies along aquatic food webs (e.g., Lavoie et al, 2013;Tesán-Onrubia et al, 2023). The inorganic divalent Hg forms ( 𝐴𝐴 Hg II inorg ), which include numerous charged and neutral complexes (Gworek et al, 2016), constitute a significant group of species since some of them are substrates for Hg methylation when biogeochemical conditions become favorable (e.g., Fitzgerald et al, 2007;Mason et al, 2012).…”

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Mercury Mobility in Epibenthic Waters of a Deltaic Environment

Cossa,

Dang,

Thomas

2024

JGR Biogeosciences

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Mercury (Hg) cycling at the sediment‐water interfaces (SWI) encompasses multiple homogeneous and heterogeneous biogeochemical reactions whose result is not yet elucidated. Estuarine SWIs, where the organic matter mineralization is active, constitute experimental sites particularly suitable for scrutinizing Hg speciation and mobilization. Here, we present high‐resolution vertical concentration profiles of Hg species, including inorganic divalent Hg () and monomethyl Hg (MMHg) in solid and dissolved (<0.22 μm) phases, on both sides of the SWI of the proximal part of the Rhône prodelta (northwestern Mediterranean Sea) using sediment cores and dialyzers implemented for a 67‐day‐long period. Concentrations of the dissolved species were <0.10 nM in the sediment pore waters but reached up to 0.58 nM in the epibenthic water zone, a concentration level that is ∼200 times higher than that of the water column. Conversely, MMHg concentrations were low (<0.5 pM) above the SWI and increased to up to 4.6 pM in the sulfate‐reducing zones of the sediment. The dynamic of the Hg species interconversions was explored using one‐dimensional transport‐reaction equations. This model allowed us to constrain the depth intervals where various species are produced or consumed and to approximate the reaction rates. We conclude that the epibenthic zone of the Rhône prodelta is a location of intense mobilization of inorganic HgII associated with organic matter mineralization and MMHg distribution in pore water is controlled by microbiological in situ reactions, but sedimentary MMHg does not diffuse in the overlying water column.

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Bioconcentration, bioaccumulation and biomagnification of mercury in plankton of the Mediterranean Sea

Cited by 11 publications

References 101 publications

Mercury Biogeochemistry and Biomagnification in the Mediterranean Sea: Current Knowledge and Future Prospects in the Context of Climate Change

Mercury Biogeochemistry and Biomagnification in the Mediterranean Sea: Current Knowledge and Future Prospects in the Context of Climate Change

The Toxicity of Mercury and Its Chemical Compounds: Molecular Mechanisms and Environmental and Human Health Implications: A Comprehensive Review

Mercury Mobility in Epibenthic Waters of a Deltaic Environment

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