Deposition and Cycling of Sulfur Controls Mercury Accumulation in Isle Royale Fish

Drevnick, Paul E.; Canfield, Donald E.; Gorski, Patrick R.; Shinneman, Avery L.C.; Engstrom, Daniel R.; Muir, Derek C.G.; Smith, Gerald R.; Garrison, Paul J.; Cleckner, Lisa B.; Hurley, James P.; Noble, Robert; Otter, Ryan R.; Oris, James T.

doi:10.1021/es0712322

Cited by 57 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Methylation of inorganic Hg by sulfate-and iron-reducing bacteria in anoxic layers of sediment has been documented in a variety of marine, estuarine, and freshwater environments (Compeau and Bartha, 1985;Ullrich et al, 2001;Fleming et al, 2006). The presence of sulfate also stimulates the production of CH 3 Hg + (Gilmour et al, 1992), and sulfate deposition and cycling affects concentrations of Hg in fish (Drevnick et al, 2007). Among the thiol (SH) compounds, the amino acid cysteine is particularly effective in promoting the uptake and enzyme-mediated methylation of Hg by bacteria (Schaefer and Morel, 2009).…”

Section: Bioavailability In Aqueous Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A few studies have examined the isotope signatures of geogenic Hg (Smith et al, 2005(Smith et al, , 2007Bergquist and Blum, 2007), while others have examined coal deposits, sediments, peat, and soils (Evans et al, 2001;Jackson et al, 2004;Biswas et al, 2007Biswas et al, , 2008. As this field of research expands, Hg isotope signatures will likely serve as a means of linking Hg in contaminated ecosystems to its ultimate anthropogenic or geogenic sources.…”

Section: Mercury Stable Isotopes In Bioaccumulation Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification of Mercury through Food Webs

Kidd

Clayden

Jardine

2011

Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology of Mercury

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Section: Bioavailability In Aqueous Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mercury Stable Isotopes In Bioaccumulation Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification of Mercury through Food Webs

Kidd

Clayden

Jardine

2011

Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology of Mercury

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“…Thus the deposition of S stimulates the biogeochemical pathway that enhances the exposure of Hg. Experimental additions of sulfate to wetlands or lakes (Jeremiason et al 2006;Branfireun et al 1999) and long-term studies (Drevnick et al 2007) show that changes in sulfate loading alter the formation of methylmercury and can alter concentrations of Hg in fish.…”

Section: Interaction Of Pollutantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Air Pollution on Ecosystems and Biological Diversity in the Eastern United States

Lovett

Tear

Evers

et al. 2009

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

193

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Conservation organizations have most often focused on land-use change, climate change, and invasive species as prime threats to biodiversity conservation. Although air pollution is an acknowledged widespread problem, it is rarely considered in conservation planning or management. In this synthesis, the state of scientific knowledge on the effects of air pollution on plants and animals in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States is summarized. Four air pollutants (sulfur, nitrogen, ozone, and mercury) and eight ecosystem types ranging from estuaries to alpine tundra are considered. Effects of air pollution were identified, with varying levels of certainty, in all the ecosystem types examined. None of these ecosystem types is free of the impacts of air pollution, and most are affected by multiple pollutants. In aquatic ecosystems, effects of acidity, nitrogen, and mercury on organisms and biogeochemical processes are well documented. Air pollution causes or contributes to acidification of lakes, eutrophication of estuaries and coastal waters, and mercury bioaccumulation in aquatic food webs. In terrestrial ecosystems, the effects of air pollution on biogeochemical cycling are also very well documented, but the effects on most organisms and the interaction of air pollution with other stressors are less well understood. Nevertheless, there is strong evidence for effects of nitrogen deposition on plants in grasslands, alpine areas, and bogs, and for nitrogen effects on forest mycorrhizae. Soil acidification is widespread in forest ecosystems across the eastern United States and is likely to affect the composition and function of forests in acid-sensitive areas over the long term. Ozone is known to cause reductions in photosynthesis in many terrestrial plant species. For the most part, the effects of these pollutants are chronic, not acute, at the exposure levels common in the eastern United States. Mortality is often observed only at experimentally elevated exposure levels or in combination with other stresses such as drought, freezing, or pathogens. The notable exceptions are the acid/aluminum effects on aquatic organisms, which can be lethal at levels of acidity observed in many surface waters in the region. Although the effects are often subtle, they are important to biological conservation. Changes in species composition caused by terrestrial or aquatic acidification or eutrophication can propagate throughout the food webs to affect many organisms beyond those that are directly sensitive to the pollution. Likewise, sublethal 100Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences doses of toxic pollutants may reduce the reproductive success of the affected organisms or make them more susceptible to potentially lethal pathogens. Many serious gaps in knowledge that warrant further research were identified. Among those gaps are the effects of acidification, ozone, and mercury on alpine systems, effects of nitrogen on species composition of forests, effects of mercury in terrestrial food webs, interactiv...

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“…Yet Hg concentrations in fishes can be extremely variable across ecosystems (Björklund et al 1984;Drevnick et al 2007;Lindeberg et al 2007) making fish tissue monitoring a major challenge. Regulatory agencies in water-rich areas are often charged with the task of monitoring Hg in fishes from thousands of waterbodies, many of which have never been previously tested.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury Concentrations in Lentic Fish Populations Related to Ecosystem and Watershed Characteristics

Rypel

2010

AMBIO

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Predicting mercury (Hg) concentrations of fishes at large spatial scales is a fundamental environmental challenge with the potential to improve human health. In this study, mercury concentrations were examined for five species across 161 lakes and ecosystem, and watershed parameters were investigated as explanatory variables in statistical models. For all species, Hg concentrations were significantly, positively related to wetland coverage. For three species (largemouth bass, pike, and walleye), Hg concentrations were significantly, negatively related to lake trophic state index (TSI), suggestive of growth biodilution. There were no significant relationships between ecosystem size and mercury concentrations. However, Hg concentrations were strongly, positively related to ecosystem size across species. Scores of small or remote lakes that have never been tested could be prioritized for testing using models akin to those presented in this article. Such an approach could also be useful for exploring how Hg concentrations of fishes might respond to natural or anthropogenic changes to ecosystems over time.

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Deposition and Cycling of Sulfur Controls Mercury Accumulation in Isle Royale Fish

Cited by 57 publications

References 61 publications

Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification of Mercury through Food Webs

Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification of Mercury through Food Webs

Effects of Air Pollution on Ecosystems and Biological Diversity in the Eastern United States

Mercury Concentrations in Lentic Fish Populations Related to Ecosystem and Watershed Characteristics

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