Nutrient supply and mercury dynamics in marine ecosystems: A conceptual model

Mercury and methylmercury incidence and bioaccumulation in plankton from the central Pacific Ocean

“…Higher concentrations for the open ocean, where plankton biomass are lower, are consistent with the idea that concentrations decrease as biomass increases, and growth rates increase (i.e. growth dilution; Karimi et al, 2007;Hammerschnidt et al, 2013;Driscoll et al, 2012). It is evident that phytoplanktons concentrate more Hg and MeHg from the water in the oligotrophic open ocean, suggesting that the MeHg may be more bioavailable in offshore waters.…”

“…In freshwater, Pickhardt and Fisher (2007) found a similar range in values for the logBCF, from 5.0 for the cyanobacteria Synechocystis to 4.3 for larger algal species. Through bioaccumulation modeling Driscoll et al (2012) showed that the concentration in small phytoplankton (b3 μm) could be up to 5 times that of larger species, a result consistent with culture studies. These differences are equivalent with values found in this study.…”

Influence of rice straw amendment on mercury methylation and nitrification in paddy soils

“…In the present study, the positive correlation between DOC and MeHg content suggests the great importance of DOC on enhancing Hg methylation. The DOC derived from decomposition of rice straw may increase Hg availability to Hg methylating microbes by forming DOMeHg complexes (Driscoll et al, 2012;Graham et al, 2013). This is consistent with previous studies suggesting an enhanced Hg methylation under low sulfidic (Graham et al, 2012a) or low DOC conditions (French et al, 2014).…”

“…This is partially consistent with the recent field study indicating a positive correlation between MeHg and soil organic matter content in paddy fields around Hg mining area (Liu et al, 2014a). However, it is difficult to confirm whether DOM directly enhanced Hg methylation by forming available Hg-DOM complexes or indirectly by increasing activity of Hg methylating microbes in the paddy soils (Driscoll et al, 2012;Miskimmin, 1991;Ullrich et al, 2001). Therefore, it is crucial to understand effect of rice straw return on Hg methylation in paddy environments.…”

Mercury distribution, methylation and volatilization in microcosms with and without the sea anemone Bunodosoma caissarum

“…The main Hg forms in seawater are Hg 0 , complexes of Hg 2+ with organic and inorganic ligands, and organic Hg forms, as methylmercury (MeHg) and dimethylmercury (Horvat et al, 2003). Depending on the environmental conditions, inorganic Hg can be converted to more toxic methylated forms, such as MeHg (Correia et al, 2012b;Driscoll et al, 2012;Guimarães et al, 2000a;Ribeiro Guevara et al, 2008;Ullrich et al, 2001). In spite of the extensive literature concerning the behavior of Hg in aquatic environments, including the transformation and distribution mechanisms, there are still knowledge gaps in this area (Ribeiro Guevara et al, 2008Guevara et al, , 2007Tessier et al, 2007;Ullrich et al, 2001;Žagar et al, 2007).…”