Based on a three‐compartment system — water, natural sediment, Hexagenia rigida nymphs — an experimental study was set up, using a complete factorial design, to quantify the actions and interactions of three abiotic factors (temperature: 10, 18, and 26°C; photoperiod: 6, 12, and 18 h per day; pH: 5.0 and 7.5) on inorganic mercury (HgCl2) and methylmercury (CH3HgCl) bioaccumulation by Hexagema rigida (whole organism and gills). The two chemical forms of the metal were initially introduced into the sediment; the exposure duration was 15 d. Total Hg burdens measured at the whole‐organism level revealed a very high bioaccumulation capacity of this burrowing mayfly species and important differences between the two contamination conditions of the sediment source, a factor close to 20 observed in favor of methylmercury, for similar exposure conditions. Among the three abiotic factors taken into account, temperature and water‐column pH played an important role on Hg bioaccumulated by the nymphs, when considered in isolation and in interaction. An increase in temperature from 10 to 26°C gave rise to an increase in Hg bioaccumulation, with the higher differences close to a factor of 1.7. On the other hand, acidification of the water column from 7.5 to 5.0 led to a decrease in the amounts of the metal accumulated by Hexagenia rigida. These effects were similar for the two Hg compounds, but they were more pronounced when the experimental units were contaminated by methylmercury. This comparative analysis of the amounts of metal bioaccumulated by whole organism and by the gills, estimates of nymph activity within the sediment, and results from earlier lab studies have generated several hypotheses on the involved mechanisms. We propose that ingested sediment is the predominant route of exposure and that the gut acts as a selective barrier that favors organic Hg absorption.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Based on a three compartment microcosm-water column, natural sediment,Hexagenia rigida nymphs-an experimental study was set up to compare cadmium (Cd) and methylmercury (MeHg) bioaccumulation by a burrowing mayfly species, after exposure via the water column or the sediment as initial contamination sources. Results from a wide concentration range for each exposure condition revealed very marked differences between the two metals: MeHg was readily accumulated from the two contamination sources, leading to important metal concentrations in the nymphs after the 2 weeks' exposure; Cd bioaccumulation, on the other hand, was negligible when the metal was added to the water compartment, even though significant transfers were observed from the sediment source. The average Cd concentrations in the nymphs were proportional to the sediment contamination levels. Turbidity measurements in the water column, reflecting the bioturbation activity of the nymphs, revealed that the effect of Cd was significant, but only when the metal was initially added to the sediment. The results are discussed according to the uptake routes and the structural and functional properties of the biological barriers involved (gills and gut).