Biomagnification of mercury in an Antarctic marine coastal food web

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Total 1lg concentrations were determined in marine sedlments and biota from the inner shelf of Terra Nova Bay (Antarctica). Like published data on air, snow and soils from the same region, Hg levels in the finest fraction of marine sediments were among the lowest ever reported for coastal marine environments (0.012 r 0.007 pg g-' dry wt). A progressive increase in Hg concentrations was found in organisms at different levels of the marine food web (phytoplankton < zooplankton and benthic primary consumers < detritivorous and opportunistic benthic invertebrates < eplpelagic fish < demersal fish and plankton-feeding seabirds < fish-eating penguins < predatory birds and Weddell seal). In general, primary producers and consumers showed slightly lower Hg concentrations (0.076 * 0.023 pg g-l dry wt) than organisms of related species from other seas, but values in feathers (2.91 + 1.93 pg g-' dry wt) of the Antarctic skua and in tissues of a MIeddell seal (44.0 and 24.0 pg g-l dry wt in the liver and spleen, respect:vely) WC:? s:milar to those in skuas and sedls from the northern hemmsphere. Trophic connections between organisms in well developed benthic communities, phytoplankton and fish and environmental factors such as enhanced upwelling of cold water, sea ice and low light are deemed to enhance natural biomagnification processes of Hg in the pristine Antarctic coastal environment.

Difference of mercury bioaccumulation in red mullets from the north-western Mediterranean and Black seas

“…In spite of the lack of Hg measurements in the preys, this hypothesis was strongly supported by numerous literature data, which show that a progressive increase in Hg concentrations is usually found in organisms at different levels of the marine food web (e.g., Boudou and Ribeyre, 1997). For example Bargagli et al (1998) found systematically higher Hg concentration in polychaetes than in plankton in a study of an Antarctic marine ecosystem. Complementary studies on Hg content in prey invertebrates are thus needed to better apprehend the route of Hg accumulation in fishes from the Mediterranean and Black seas.…”

Comparison of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury and selenium in feathers in bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), and comparison with common eider (Somateria mollissima), glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens), pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba), and tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) from the Aleutian Chain of Alaska

“…There are at least two approaches to examining the effects of trophic level: measuring metal levels in each link of the food chain leading to a top level predator (e.g. plankton, invertebrates, fish, fish-eating seabird; Hahn et al 1993;Bargagli et al 1998), and measuring levels in several members of the same group known to be in different trophic levels (e.g. seabirds at different trophic levels).…”

Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury, and selenium in feathers of Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) from Prince William Sound, Alaska

“…Because some pollutants undergo biomagnification up the food chain, and can accumulate with age, concentrations are generally higher in top trophic level birds and mammals (Lewis and Furness, 1991;Ohlenhdorf, 1993;Bargagli et al, 1998;Scheifler et al, 2005). Factors that affect uptake, accumulation, and biomagnification of metals in birds include exposure pathways, species of the metal, and bioavailability, as well as a number of host factors, such as trophic status, location, foraging behavior, nutrition, body condition, gender, size, genetic variability, and age (Stewart et al, 1997;Debacker et al, 2001;Burger et al, 2003).…”