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Concentrations of trace elements in sea urchins and macroalgae commonly present in Sargassum beds: implications for trophic transfer

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Ecological Research

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the dynamic of cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, and iron among lower trophic levels, sea urchins and macroalgae. Diets and isotopic values were used in combination to explore trophic positions and potential transference of metals from primary producers to consumers. Concentrations of trace elements were measured in two species of sea urchin (Tripneustes depressus and Eucidaris thouarsii) and nine macroalgae that are usually used as food in four Sargassum beds, one of which is close to a phosphorite mine. Specimens were collected when Sargassum fronds were at their greatest (winter) and lowest (summer) abundance. Highest concentrations of Cd, and Cu in both urchin species were recorded in winter at the site near the phosphorite mine. Concentrations of Pb in T. depressus were below the detectable limit, whereas E. thouarsii, which in addition to a high concentration of Pb, had high amounts of Cu and Zn. Gut content analysis, indicates that the diet of both sea urchins at the four sites and two collection dates is mainly macroalgae. The δ 15N isotopic values in sea urchins in a typical Sargassum bed were in good agreement with a diet dominated by macroalgae, with T. depressus having herbivorous habits and E. thouarsii having omnivorous habits in this environment. We found macroalgae important in the dynamics of metals in food webs, potentially contributing to transferring Cd, Cu, and Zn to key invertebrate species, such as sea urchins, indicating connectivity of food webs and ecological structuring of marine environments.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Alejandra Mazariegos Villarreal, Alejandra Piñón Gimate, Baudilio Acosta Vargas, Griselda Peña Armenta, Horacio Bervera León, and Mario Jaime Rivera at CIBNOR, and Lorrie D. Rea, J. Margaret Castellini, and Carla Willeto at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for assistance in sample collecting, processing, and comments on the manuscript. Ira Fogel at CIBNOR provided editorial services. Funding was provided by CIBNOR (PC 0.5) and the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT CB2012 179327). P.H.A. is a recipient of a joint doctoral fellowship and scholarship Grant (Beca Mixta CONACYT 48345). Sample were collected under Permit #PPF/DGOPA-010/14.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR), Calle IPN #195, 23096, La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico

    Pablo Hernández-Almaraz, Lía Méndez-Rodríguez, Tania Zenteno-Savín & Elisa Serviere-Zaragoza

  2. Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 901 Koyukuk Dr., Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7750, USA

    Todd M. O’Hara

  3. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 900 Yukon Dr., Fairbanks, AK, 99775-6160, USA

    John R. Harley

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  1. Pablo Hernández-Almaraz
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  2. Lía Méndez-Rodríguez
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  3. Tania Zenteno-Savín
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  4. Todd M. O’Hara
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  5. John R. Harley
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  6. Elisa Serviere-Zaragoza
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elisa Serviere-Zaragoza.

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Hernández-Almaraz, P., Méndez-Rodríguez, L., Zenteno-Savín, T. et al. Concentrations of trace elements in sea urchins and macroalgae commonly present in Sargassum beds: implications for trophic transfer. Ecol Res 31, 785–798 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-016-1390-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-016-1390-7

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