Enhanced bioaccumulation of mercury in deep-sea fauna from the Bay of Biscay (north-east Atlantic) in relation to trophic positions identified by analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes
- 作者：T. Chouvelon ; J. Spitz ; F. Caurant ; P. Mè ; ndez-Fernandez ; J. Autier ; A. Lassus-Dé ; bat ; A. Chappuis ; P. Bustamante ; paco.bustamante@univ-lr.fr ; pbustama@univ-lr.fr
- 关键词：Metal ; Stable isotope ; Trophic transfer ; Fish ; Mollusc ; Crustaceans
- 刊名：Deep Sea Research Part I ; Oceanographic Research Papers
- 出版年：2012
- 期刊代码：33_09670637
- 类别：abs
- 出版时间：July, 2012
- 卷：65
- 期：Complete
- 页码：113-124
- 文件大小：505 K
摘要
The Bay of Biscay (north-east Atlantic) is an open marine ecosystem of particular concern in current European environmental policies. Indeed, it supports both a high biological diversity and numerous anthropogenic activities such as important fisheries. For the first time, stable isotope analyses (SIA) of carbon and nitrogen and analysis of total mercury (T-Hg) concentrations in the muscle (edible flesh) were performed on adult stages of a wide range of species (i.e., 120 species) from various taxa and various habitats of this ecosystem. Concentrations of this non-essential metal, toxic to all living organisms, ranged from 39 to 5074 ng g鈭? dry weight. Calculations of species' trophic positions (TPs) through SIA revealed a limited effect of TP in explaining Hg bioaccumulation by high trophic level consumers in particular. On the contrary, our results suggest an important role of habitat and/or feeding zone, which strongly influence muscle Hg bioaccumulation. Deep-sea fish species effectively presented the highest Hg concentrations. Possible interactions between biological factors (e.g., age of deep-sea organisms) and bioavailability of the metal in the deep-sea environment are discussed to explain such enhanced bioaccumulation of Hg by deep-sea fauna in the Bay of Biscay. This study also highlights a potential risk for human health when deep-sea fish are consumed frequently.