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Lacombe RM, Martigny P, Pelletier D, Barst BD, Guillemette M, Amyot M, Elliott KH, Lavoie RA. Exploring the spatial variation of mercury in the Gulf of St. Lawrence using northern gannets as fish samplers. Sci Total Environ 2024; 927:172152. [PMID: 38575012 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous and pervasive environmental contaminant with detrimental effects on wildlife, which originates from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Its distribution within ecosystems is influenced by various biogeochemical processes, making it crucial to elucidate the factors driving this variability. To explore these factors, we employed an innovative method to use northern gannets (Morus bassanus) as biological samplers of regurgitated fish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We assessed fish total Hg (THg) concentrations in relation to their geographical catch location as well as to pertinent biotic and anthropogenic factors. In small fish species, trophic position, calculated from compound-specific stable nitrogen isotopes in amino acids, emerged as the most influential predictor of THg concentrations. For large fish species, THg concentrations were best explained by δ13C, indicating higher concentrations in inshore habitats. No anthropogenic factors, such as pollution, shipping traffic, or coastal development, were significantly related to THg concentrations in fish. Moreover, previously published THg data in mussels sampled nearby were positively linked with THg concentrations in gannet prey, suggesting consistent mercury distribution across trophic levels in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Our findings point to habitat-dependent variability in THg concentrations across multiple trophic levels. Our study could have many potential uses in the future, including the identification of vulnerability hotspots for fish populations and their predators, or assessing risk factors for seabirds themselves by using biologically relevant prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- R M Lacombe
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Rd, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada.
| | - P Martigny
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec G5L 3A1, Canada.
| | - D Pelletier
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec G5L 3A1, Canada; Département de Biologie, Cégep de Rimouski, 60 rue de l'Évêché O, Rimouski, Québec G5L 4H6, Canada.
| | - B D Barst
- Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1764 Tanana Loop, Fairbanks, AK 99775-5910, USA.
| | - M Guillemette
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec G5L 3A1, Canada.
| | - M Amyot
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Montreal, 1375 Avenue Thérèse-Lavoie-Roux, Montréal, Québec H2V 0B3, Canada.
| | - K H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Rd, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada.
| | - R A Lavoie
- Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 1550 Av. D'Estimauville, Québec G1J 0C3, Canada.
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Shoji A, Elliott KH, Aris-Brosou S, Mizukawa H, Nakayama SMM, Ikenaka Y, Ishizuka M, Kuwae T, Watanabe K, Escoruela Gonzalez J, Watanuki Y. Biotransport of metallic trace elements from marine to terrestrial ecosystems by seabirds. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019; 38:106-114. [PMID: 30284322 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Physical systems, such as currents and winds, have traditionally been considered responsible for transporting contaminants. Although evidence is mounting that animals play a role in this process through their movements, we still know little about how such contaminant biotransport occurs and the extent of effects at deposition sites. In the present study, we address this question by studying how rhinoceros auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata), a seabird that occurs in immense colonies (∼300 000 pairs at our study site, Teuri Island), affect contaminant levels at their colony and at nearby sites. More specifically, we hypothesize that contaminants are transported and deposited by seabirds at their colony and that these contaminants are passed on locally to the terrestrial ecosystem. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the concentration of 9 heavy metal and metalloids, as well as δ13 C and δ15 N stable isotopes, in bird tissues, plants, and soil, both within and outside of the colony. The results show that rhinoceros auklets transport marine-derived mercury (Hg), possibly from their wintering location, and deposit Hg via their feces at their breeding site, thereby contaminating plants and soils within the breeding colony. The present study confirms not only that animals can transport contaminants from marine to terrestrial ecosystems, potentially over unexpectedly long distances, but also that bird tissues contribute locally to plant contamination. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:106-114. © 2018 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Shoji
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
- Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - K H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | - S Aris-Brosou
- Departments of Biology and Statistics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - H Mizukawa
- Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Laboratory of Toxicology, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - S M M Nakayama
- Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Laboratory of Toxicology, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Y Ikenaka
- Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Laboratory of Toxicology, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - M Ishizuka
- Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Laboratory of Toxicology, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - T Kuwae
- Coastal and Estuarine Environment Research Group, Port and Airport Research Institute, Yokosuka, Japan
| | - K Watanabe
- Coastal and Estuarine Environment Research Group, Port and Airport Research Institute, Yokosuka, Japan
| | - J Escoruela Gonzalez
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Y Watanuki
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
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