Mercury bioaccumulation in the food web of Three Gorges Reservoir (China): Tempo-spatial patterns and effect of reservoir management

Li, Jun; Zhou, Qiong; Yuan, Gailing; He, Xinyi; Xie, Ping

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.04.115

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 64 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Concerning inland ecosystems, the only cases found were those of Procambarus clarkii and Palaemonetes paludosus, collected in the state of Sonora, in the Colorado River, the Bocana Lagoon, and the Santa Clara swamp, with values of 0.40, 0.05, and 0.69 µg g -1 dw in the whole organism, respectively. These values are similar to others reported worldwide; for example,Li et al (2015) reported Hg concentrations in Macrobrachium nipponense of 0.03, 0.04, and 0.03 µg g -1 dw in three reservoirs located in the central part of China. These values, however, are lower than concentrations found in other freshwater crustaceans collected in contaminated areas.…”

supporting

confidence: 91%

Review of the biomonitoring of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances in aquatic ecosystems of Mexico: 2001-2016

Ramírez-Ayala

Arguello-Pérez

Tintos-Gómez

et al. 2020

Lat. Am. J. Aquat. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mexico is responsible for the protection and management of a large number and variety of aquatic bodies of national and international importance. Environmental pollution by so-called persistent and bioaccumulative toxic substances (PBTS) poses significant risks for all of the world's aquatic ecosystems, especially in countries with emerging economies, where environmental regulations are often poorly implemented. In Mexico, the development of industrial projects and the deficient application of environmental regulations, together with the rapid increase in population and the inefficient disposal of urban waste, have generated a severe problem of water pollution in the country. National environmental protection programs have not included the monitoring of PBTS, even though researchers have been monitoring the main aquatic ecosystems of the country for nearly three decades, generating valuable information that could help improve the protection and exploitation of these ecosystems. The present work reviewed a large portion of the available literature (~150 articles) on aquatic biomonitoring of the main PBTS (Hg, Cd, Pb, POCs, and PCBs) in Mexico. This work aims to collect, synthesize, and facilitate the management and interpretation of the reported data to improve the country's aquatic ecosystems' protection and management.

show abstract

supporting

confidence: 91%

Review of the biomonitoring of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances in aquatic ecosystems of Mexico: 2001-2016

Ramírez-Ayala

Arguello-Pérez

Tintos-Gómez

et al. 2020

Lat. Am. J. Aquat. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For newly created reservoirs, the increase in MeHg production and bioaccumulation results from the decomposition of flooded terrestrial organic material, which leads to increased microbial activity and increased net MeHg production in flooded soils (Mucci et al 1995 ; Porvari and Verta 1995 ; Kelly et al 1997 ; Hall and Louis 2004 ; Hall et al 2004 ; St. Louis et al 2004 ; Hall et al 2009 ). However, there are several studies from reservoirs in China where elevated fish Hg concentrations did not follow impoundment (Horvat et al 2003 ; He et al 2008 ; Feng et al 2009 ; Liu et al 2012a ; Li et al 2015a ), likely due to low catchment organic matter content. Based on this observation, reductions in catchment organic matter prior to flooding have been proposed as a means to mitigate Hg impacts before reservoir creation (Mailman and Bodaly 2006 ).…”

Section: Reservoir Creationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As noted above, observations of reservoirs in China have suggested less impact (relative to North American sites) on fish Hg concentrations (Larssen 2010 ). In addition to the relatively low organic matter content, the reservoirs in China had higher flow rates, shorter food webs, and biodilution and growth dilution that may contribute to lower fish Hg concentrations (Horvat et al 2003 ; He et al 2008 ; Feng et al 2009 ; Liu et al 2012a ; Li et al 2015a ). However, unlike the research on reservoirs from North America, in which a decrease in fish Hg concentrations is predicted as the reservoir ages, reservoirs in China may experience an increase in MeHg production over time as sediment organic matter accumulates from both allochthonous and autochthonous sources (Feng et al 2009 ).…”

Section: Reservoir Creationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges and opportunities for managing aquatic mercury pollution in altered landscapes

Hsu‐Kim

Eckley

Achá

et al. 2018

Ambio

207

115

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The environmental cycling of mercury (Hg) can be affected by natural and anthropogenic perturbations. Of particular concern is how these disruptions increase mobilization of Hg from sites and alter the formation of monomethylmercury (MeHg), a bioaccumulative form of Hg for humans and wildlife. The scientific community has made significant advances in recent years in understanding the processes contributing to the risk of MeHg in the environment. The objective of this paper is to synthesize the scientific understanding of how Hg cycling in the aquatic environment is influenced by landscape perturbations at the local scale, perturbations that include watershed loadings, deforestation, reservoir and wetland creation, rice production, urbanization, mining and industrial point source pollution, and remediation. We focus on the major challenges associated with each type of alteration, as well as management opportunities that could lessen both MeHg levels in biota and exposure to humans. For example, our understanding of approximate response times to changes in Hg inputs from various sources or landscape alterations could lead to policies that prioritize the avoidance of certain activities in the most vulnerable systems and sequestration of Hg in deep soil and sediment pools. The remediation of Hg pollution from historical mining and other industries is shifting towards in situ technologies that could be less disruptive and less costly than conventional approaches. Contemporary artisanal gold mining has well-documented impacts with respect to Hg; however, significant social and political challenges remain in implementing effective policies to minimize Hg use. Much remains to be learned as we strive towards the meaningful application of our understanding for stakeholders, including communities living near Hg-polluted sites, environmental policy makers, and scientists and engineers tasked with developing watershed management solutions. Site-specific assessments of MeHg exposure risk will require new methods to predict the impacts of anthropogenic perturbations and an understanding of the complexity of Hg cycling at the local scale.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-017-1006-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

“…Reservoir creation can also enhance the magnitude of aquatic invertebrate emergence, increasing the available biomass of Hg-contaminated prey and associated Hg exposure in insectivorous birds (Gerrard and St Louis 2001 ), providing biologically mediated subsidies to adjacent terrestrial habitats. The pulse in MeHg bioaccumulation through food webs does not occur in all newly impounded reservoirs however (Li et al 2015 ), and although the mechanisms are not well understood, evidence suggests that food chain length in reservoirs may be an important regulating factor (Razavi et al 2014 ; Ouedraogo et al 2015 ).…”

Section: Domain 1: Extrinsic Global Change Drivers That Influence Metmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modulators of mercury risk to wildlife and humans in the context of rapid global change

Eagles‐Smith

Silbergeld

Basu

et al. 2018

Ambio

289

163

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Environmental mercury (Hg) contamination is an urgent global health threat. The complexity of Hg in the environment can hinder accurate determination of ecological and human health risks, particularly within the context of the rapid global changes that are altering many ecological processes, socioeconomic patterns, and other factors like infectious disease incidence, which can affect Hg exposures and health outcomes. However, the success of global Hg-reduction efforts depends on accurate assessments of their effectiveness in reducing health risks. In this paper, we examine the role that key extrinsic and intrinsic drivers play on several aspects of Hg risk to humans and organisms in the environment. We do so within three key domains of ecological and human health risk. First, we examine how extrinsic global change drivers influence pathways of Hg bioaccumulation and biomagnification through food webs. Next, we describe how extrinsic socioeconomic drivers at a global scale, and intrinsic individual-level drivers, influence human Hg exposure. Finally, we address how the adverse health effects of Hg in humans and wildlife are modulated by a range of extrinsic and intrinsic drivers within the context of rapid global change. Incorporating components of these three domains into research and monitoring will facilitate a more holistic understanding of how ecological and societal drivers interact to influence Hg health risks.

show abstract

Mercury bioaccumulation in the food web of Three Gorges Reservoir (China): Tempo-spatial patterns and effect of reservoir management

Cited by 15 publications

References 64 publications

Review of the biomonitoring of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances in aquatic ecosystems of Mexico: 2001-2016

Review of the biomonitoring of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances in aquatic ecosystems of Mexico: 2001-2016

Challenges and opportunities for managing aquatic mercury pollution in altered landscapes

Modulators of mercury risk to wildlife and humans in the context of rapid global change

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About