Mercury bioaccumulation in the aquatic food webs from Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario in North America

IF 2.5 3区环境科学与生态学 Q3 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Journal of Great Lakes Research Pub Date : 2025-03-11 DOI:10.1016/j.jglr.2025.102548

Junda Ren , Sujan Fernando , Philip K. Hopke , Thomas M. Holsen , Trevor Massey , Lisa B. Cleckner , Bernard S. Crimmins

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Abstract

Mercury is a persistent pollutant that bioaccumulates in biota, posing ecological and health risks. This study examines the total and methylmercury (THg and MeHg, respectively) levels in the Lake Huron (LH), Ontario (LO), and Erie (LE) food webs. The MeHg levels (mean ± standard deviation) in LH and LE zooplankton (18.1 ± 11.8 ng/g dry weight (dw) and 31.5 ± 34.1 ng/g dw, respectively) were similar, but significantly higher than observed in zooplankton from LO (0.521 ± 0.219 ng/g dw). THg concentrations in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from LO (103 ± 31 ng/g wet weight (wwt)) were similar to those in LE (90.1 ± 33 ng/g wwt), but lower than those in LH (181 ± 46 ng/g wwt). The highest sediment Hg concentrations (MeHg: 1.23 ± 0.14 ng/g dw; THg: 342 ± 3.9 ng/g dw) were observed at the western LE site, compared to other sites across the three lakes in this study (MeHg: 0.414 ± 0.331 ng/g dw; THg: 41.7 ± 32.5 ng/g dw). The trophic magnification slope (TMS) using log-transformed MeHg concentrations (dw) and nitrogen stable isotopes (δ¹⁵N) ranged from 0.15 to 0.36. Biomagnification factors (BMFs) of MeHg (dw) between prey fish and macroinvertebrates ranged from 0.246 ± 0.059 to 138 ± 21, whereas BMFs for apex predators and their major prey were greater than 1. The current study provides a contemporary assessment of mercury transfer in three of the Laurentian Great Lakes, illustrating the importance of trophic level on Hg bioaccumulation.

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北美休伦湖、伊利湖和安大略湖水生食物网中汞的生物积累

汞是一种持久性污染物，可在生物群中生物积累，构成生态和健康风险。本研究检测了休伦湖（LH）、安大略湖（LO）和伊利湖（LE）食物网中的总汞和甲基汞（THg和MeHg）水平。LH和LE浮游动物的MeHg水平（平均值±标准差）相似（分别为18.1±11.8 ng/g干重（dw）和31.5±34.1 ng/g dw），但显著高于LO浮游动物（0.521±0.219 ng/g dw）。湖鳟鱼（Salvelinus namaycush）的THg浓度为103±31 ng/g湿重（wwt），与湖鳟鱼（90.1±33 ng/g wwt）相似，但低于湖鳟鱼（181±46 ng/g wwt）。最高沉积物汞浓度(MeHg: 1.23±0.14 ng/g dw；与三大湖其他站点相比，LE西部站点的THg为342±3.9 ng/g dw) (MeHg: 0.414±0.331 ng/g dw；THg: 41.7±32.5 ng/g dw)。利用对数转换MeHg浓度（dw）和氮稳定同位素（δ15N）计算的营养放大斜率（TMS）在0.15 ~ 0.36之间。猎物鱼类与大型无脊椎动物MeHg （dw）的生物放大因子（BMFs）范围为0.246±0.059 ~ 138±21，而顶端捕食者及其主要猎物的生物放大因子（BMFs）均大于1。目前的研究提供了一个当代评估汞转移在三个劳伦森五大湖，说明营养水平对汞的生物积累的重要性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Great Lakes Research 生物-海洋与淡水生物学

CiteScore

5.10

自引率

13.60%

发文量

178

审稿时长

6 months

期刊介绍： Published six times per year, the Journal of Great Lakes Research is multidisciplinary in its coverage, publishing manuscripts on a wide range of theoretical and applied topics in the natural science fields of biology, chemistry, physics, geology, as well as social sciences of the large lakes of the world and their watersheds. Large lakes generally are considered as those lakes which have a mean surface area of >500 km2 (see Herdendorf, C.E. 1982. Large lakes of the world. J. Great Lakes Res. 8:379-412, for examples), although smaller lakes may be considered, especially if they are very deep. We also welcome contributions on saline lakes and research on estuarine waters where the results have application to large lakes.