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Mills N, Weber MJ, Cashatt D, Pierce CL, Dixon P. Factors related to fish mercury concentrations in Iowa lakes. Environ Monit Assess 2022; 194:721. [PMID: 36056241 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-10427-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Mercury contamination in aquatic ecosystems is a global concern due to the health risks of consuming contaminated fishes. Fish mercury concentrations are influenced by a range of biotic and abiotic factors that vary among regions, but these complex interactions are difficult to disentangle. We collected bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), white and black crappie (Pomoxis annularis; P. nigromaculatus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), walleye (Sander vitreus), muskellunge (Esox masquinongy), and northern pike (E. lucius) from waterbodies throughout Iowa and analyzed them for mercury concentrations. We used land use, water chemistry, and fish characteristics to explain variation in mercury concentrations among and within systems. Mercury concentrations were generally low and undetectable (< 0.05 mg/kg) in 43% of fish analyzed. Detected mercury concentrations were highest in largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, and walleye, lowest in black and white crappie and bluegill, and positively related to fish length and age. Mean lake depth, pH, watershed area to lake area ratio, and percent of watershed as open water were positively related to fish mercury concentrations whereas lake area and percent of watershed as agriculture, developed, forested, and grassland were negatively related to mercury concentrations. Additionally, mercury concentrations were higher in shallow natural lakes compared to other lake types. Our results indicate fish mercury concentrations are lower in Iowa lakes compared to other regions. Models we developed in this study can be used to identify other waterbodies that may have elevated mercury concentrations that can guide fish mercury monitoring programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Mills
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, 339 Science Hall II, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Michael J Weber
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, 339 Science Hall II, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
| | - Darcy Cashatt
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 15053 Hatchery Place, Moravia, IA, USA
| | - Clay L Pierce
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, 339 Science Hall II, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Philip Dixon
- Department of Statistics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
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Guabiroba HC, Vilar CC, Pinheiro HT, Joyeux JC. Limited human access is linked to higher effectiveness in a marine sanctuary. J Environ Manage 2022; 311:114838. [PMID: 35279488 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a widely used tool for coral reefs conservation, but massive tourism activities inside MPAs worldwide can challenge their effectiveness. This study investigated the role of different levels of protection strictness (no-entry, low and high tourism-allowed zones) set for a marine sanctuary in shaping benthic cover and reef fish community structure in the richest and largest coral reef system of the Southwestern Atlantic. Reef fish community structure and benthic cover differed between protection levels. No-entry zones showed significant higher coral coverage and biomass of piscivores and herbivores than tourism-allowed zones. Highest differences were found between no-entry and high tourism intensity zones. Despite the fact that protection from fishing by itself can ensure conservation benefits, we show here that the establishment of no-entry zones improve MPAs effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helder C Guabiroba
- Laboratório de Ictiologia, Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, Espírito Santo, 29075- 910, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biologia Animal (PPGBAN), Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, Espírito Santo, 29075- 910, Brazil.
| | - Ciro C Vilar
- Laboratório de Ictiologia, Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, Espírito Santo, 29075- 910, Brazil
| | - Hudson T Pinheiro
- Center for Marine Biology, University of São Paulo, São Sebastião, São Paulo, 11612-109, Brazil; California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA, 94118, USA; A.A. Voz da Natureza, Av. Jeronimo Monteiro, 240, Vitória, Espírito Santo, 29010-002, Brazil
| | - Jean-Christophe Joyeux
- Laboratório de Ictiologia, Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, Espírito Santo, 29075- 910, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biologia Animal (PPGBAN), Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, Espírito Santo, 29075- 910, Brazil
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Jakubas D, Kitowski I, Wiącek D, Bzoma S. Inter-species and inter-colony differences in elemental concentrations in eggshells of sympatrically nesting great cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo and grey herons Ardea cinerea. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2019; 26:2747-2760. [PMID: 30484052 PMCID: PMC6338717 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-3765-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We compared the concentrations of 17 heavy metals and essential elements in post-hatching eggshells of two waterbirds, the obligate piscivorous great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (GCM) and the more omnivorous grey heron Ardea cinerea (GHR), breeding sympatrically in eight mixed colonies in Poland. We found significant inter-species and inter-colony differences in the levels of most of the elements. GHR had significantly higher concentrations of Al, which can be explained by its very low stomach pH: an acidic environment favours the release of Al compounds. Differences in Mn, Ni, Cu, Se and Hg concentrations can be attributed to the various contributions of fish and other aquatic organisms to the diet, and to the exploration of different habitats (GCM exclusively aquatic, GHR a wider range) and microhabitats (GCM, in contrast to wading GHR, dive for food, exploring the whole depth range of water bodies), differently exposed to contamination by those elements from sediments. Inter-colony differences were related to the level of industrialisation. We recorded higher levels of some elements in the eggshells (Fe, Mn in both species and Cr, Ni and Zn in GCM) collected in industrialised areas, which may be associated with the negative environmental impact of industrial areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dariusz Jakubas
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, PL-80-308, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Ignacy Kitowski
- State School of Higher Education in Chełm, Pocztowa 54, PL-22-100, Chełm, Poland.
| | - Dariusz Wiącek
- Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doświadczalna 4, PL-20-290, Lublin, Poland
| | - Szymon Bzoma
- Grupa Badawcza Ptaków Wodnych KULING, Świerkowa 34/7, PL-81-526, Gdynia, Poland
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Donald DB, Wissel B, Anas MUM. Species-specific mercury bioaccumulation in a diverse fish community. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015; 34:2846-2855. [PMID: 26113505 DOI: 10.1002/etc.3130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2015] [Revised: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Mercury bioaccumulation models developed for fish provide insight into the sources and transfer of Hg within ecosystems. Mercury concentrations were assessed for 16 fish species of the western reach of Lake Diefenbaker, Saskatchewan, Canada. For top predators (northern pike, Esox Lucius; walleye, Sander vitreum), Hg concentrations were positively correlated to δ(15)N, and δ(15)N to fish age, suggesting that throughout life these fish fed on organisms with increasingly higher trophic values and Hg concentrations. However, fish mass and/or age were the principal parameters related to Hg concentrations for most species. For 9 common species combined, individual variation in Hg concentration was explained in declining order of importance by fish mass, trophic position (δ(15)N), and fish age. Delta (15)N value was not the leading variable related to Hg concentration for the assemblage, probably because of the longevity of lower--trophic-level species (3 species ≥ 20 yr), substantial overlap in Hg concentration and δ(15)N values for large-bodied fish up to 3000 g, and complex relationships between Hg concentration and δ(15)N among species. These results suggest that the quantity of food (and Hg) consumed each year and converted to fish mass, the quantity of Hg bioaccumulated over years and decades, and trophic position were significant determinants of Hg concentration in Lake Diefenbaker fish.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Björn Wissel
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - M U Mohamed Anas
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
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