The Complex Interactions Between Sediment Geochemistry, Methylmercury Production, and Bioaccumulation in Intertidal Estuarine Ecosystems: A Focused Review

Bradford, Molly A; Mallory, Mark L.; O’Driscoll, Nelson J.

doi:10.1007/s00128-022-03653-w

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…High variation in MeHg bioaccumulation among species and taxa has been demonstrated in our study and previous studies, 18,54,55 and sediment THg is not a clear indicator of bioaccumulation or of risk to amphibians or other aquatic organisms. 66 Future studies could investigate relationships between MeHg in porewater or bulk sediment, compared to sediment THg in the present study and MeHg in amphibians.…”

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Broad-Scale Assessment of Methylmercury in Adult Amphibians

Tornabene,

Hossack,

Halstead

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Mercury (Hg) is a toxic contaminant that has been mobilized and distributed worldwide and is a threat to many wildlife species. Amphibians are facing unprecedented global declines due to many threats including contaminants. While the biphasic life history of many amphibians creates a potential nexus for methylmercury (MeHg) exposure in aquatic habitats and subsequent health effects, the broad-scale distribution of MeHg exposure in amphibians remains unknown. We used nonlethal sampling to assess MeHg bioaccumulation in 3,241 juvenile and adult amphibians during 2017−2021. We sampled 26 populations (14 species) across 11 states in the United States, including several imperiled species that could not have been sampled by traditional lethal methods. We examined whether life history traits of species and whether the concentration of total mercury in sediment or dragonflies could be used as indicators of MeHg bioaccumulation in amphibians. Methylmercury contamination was widespread, with a 33-fold difference in concentrations across sites. Variation among years and clustered subsites was less than variation across sites. Life history characteristics such as size, sex, and whether the amphibian was a frog, toad, newt, or other salamander were the factors most strongly associated with bioaccumulation. Total Hg in dragonflies was a reliable indicator of bioaccumulation of MeHg in amphibians (R 2 ≥ 0.67), whereas total Hg in sediment was not (R 2 ≤ 0.04). Our study, the largest broad-scale assessment of MeHg bioaccumulation in amphibians, highlights methodological advances that allow for nonlethal sampling of rare species and reveals immense variation among species, life histories, and sites. Our findings can help identify sensitive populations and provide environmentally relevant concentrations for future studies to better quantify the potential threats of MeHg to amphibians.

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