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Controls on the Variation of Methylmercury Concentration in Seagrass Bed Consumer Organisms of the Big Bend, Florida, USA

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Abstract

Mercury poses both ecosystem and human health concerns that are exacerbated by the production of methylmercury (CH3Hg+; MeHg), which is often associated with sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in marine sediments. We examined the relationship between MeHg concentrations and reduced-sulfur stable isotope δ34S values in four coastal consumer organisms collected from northern and southern regions of Florida’s Big Bend seagrass meadows: pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides), pigfish (Orthopristis chrysoptera), black sea bass (Centropristis striata), and shrimp (Tozeuma carolinense and Tozeuma serratum). We tested the hypothesis that depletion in δ34S, which is an indicator of the extent of sulfate reduction within sediments of seagrass dominated systems, would be related to the concentration of MeHg in fauna within these systems. We found that as δ34S became more depleted, indicating more relative sulfate reduction in sediments, the MeHg concentrations increased significantly (r = 0.52; p < 0.001; total n = 157). Stable δ34S values ranged from 17.4 to 4.8‰ and MeHg concentrations from 37.3 to 832 ng g−1 dry weight (DW). Correlations between tissue MeHg and δ13C were also observed (r = 0.44; p < 0.001; total n = 122), indicating that variations in benthic/water column feeding could also be important in controlling the MeHg distributions in the selected fauna. In addition, we observed spatial differences in δ34S, δ13C, and δ15N isotopic values and MeHg concentrations of consumers. Fauna from the southern region of the study area were 13C enriched, 15N depleted, 34S depleted, and had elevated MeHg concentrations relative to their northern Big Bend counterparts.

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Acknowledgments

Data are publicly available through the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information & Data Cooperative (GRIIDC) at https://data.gulfresearchinitiative.org/data/R1.x138.078:0031/, with DOI https://doi.org/10.7266/N77W6955. The US Geological Survey and the FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory provided laboratory space and equipment to facilitate this research. Sample collection and draft review were provided by Dr. Christopher Stalling and Dr. James Nelson. Dr. Rachel Wilson and Dr. Vincent Perrot provided analytical and data analysis support. We thank Marian Berndt, Lia Chasar, and the entire staff of the USGS Water Science Center for laboratory support. We thank two anonymous reviewers who made helpful comments.

Funding

This research was made possible in part by a grant from The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. The US Fish and Wildlife Service/State Wildlife federal grant number T-15, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission agreement number 08007 provided funding for the field surveys. Additional funding was provided by the Florida Institute of Oceanography and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Northern Gulf of Mexico Cooperative Institute 191001-363558-01).

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  1. Alexandra Harper

    Present address: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1315 East-West Hwy, SSMC3 Rm. 2833, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA

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  1. Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4320, USA

    Alexandra Harper, William Landing & Jeffrey P. Chanton

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  1. Alexandra Harper
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Correspondence to Jeffrey P. Chanton.

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Communicated by Wen-Xiong Wang

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Harper, A., Landing, W. & Chanton, J.P. Controls on the Variation of Methylmercury Concentration in Seagrass Bed Consumer Organisms of the Big Bend, Florida, USA. Estuaries and Coasts 41, 1486–1495 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0355-6

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