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Ecological determinants of methylmercury bioaccumulation in benthic invertebrates of polar desert lakes

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Abstract

We investigated concentrations of monomethylmercury (MMHg) at the base of benthic food webs in six lakes from polar desert (biologically poor and low annual precipitation) on Cornwallis Island (Nunavut, Canada, ~75°N latitude). Anthropogenic mercury emissions reach the Arctic by long-range atmospheric transport, and information is lacking on processes controlling MMHg entry into these simple lake food webs, despite their importance in determining transfer to lake-dwelling Arctic char. We examined the influences of diet (using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes), water depth, and taxonomic composition on MMHg bioaccumulation in benthic invertebrates (Chironomidae and Trichoptera). We also estimated MMHg biomagnification between benthic algae and invertebrates. Similar MMHg concentrations of chironomid larvae in nearshore and offshore zones suggest that benthic MMHg exposure was homogeneous within the lakes. Chironomid δ13C values were also similar in both depth zones, suggesting that diet items with highly negative δ13C, specifically methanogenic bacteria and planktonic organic matter, were not important food (and therefore mercury) sources for profundal larvae. MMHg concentrations were significantly different among two subfamilies of chironomids (Diamesinae, Chironominae) and Trichoptera. Higher MMHg concentrations in Diamesinae were likely related to predation on other chironomids. We found high MMHg biomagnification between benthic algae and chironomid larvae compared with literature estimates for aquatic ecosystems at lower latitudes; thus, benthic processes may affect the sensitivity of polar desert lakes to mercury. Information on benthic MMHg exposure is important for evaluating and tracking impacts of atmospheric mercury deposition and environmental change in this remote High Arctic environment.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Northern Contaminants Program (Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada). We thank the Polar Continental Shelf Project for logistical and helicopter support to conduct the field program at Resolute Bay. The Resolute Bay Hunters and Trappers Association kindly provided permission to sample local lakes. Assistance in the field from Catherine Girard, Brian Dimock and Pilipoosie Iqaluk was greatly appreciated. We thank three anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment Canada, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0H3, Canada

    John Chételat

  2. Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Alexandre J. Poulain

  3. Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en limnologie, and Centre d’études nordiques, Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Marc Amyot

  4. Collection entomologique Ouellet-Robert, Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada

    Louise Cloutier

  5. Environmental Resource Studies Program, Department of Chemistry, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada

    Holger Hintelmann

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  1. John Chételat
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Correspondence to John Chételat.

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Chételat, J., Poulain, A.J., Amyot, M. et al. Ecological determinants of methylmercury bioaccumulation in benthic invertebrates of polar desert lakes. Polar Biol 37, 1785–1796 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-014-1561-3

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