Dissolved organic matter reduces algal accumulation of methylmercury
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
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Abstract
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) significantly decreased accumulation of methylmercury (MeHg) by the diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana in laboratory experiments. Live diatom cells accumulated two to four times more MeHg than dead cells, indicating that accumulation may be partially an energy-requiring process. Methylmercury enrichment in diatoms relative to ambient water was measured by a volume concentration factor (VCF). Without added DOM, the maximum VCF was 32 x 104, and the average VCF (from 10 to 72 h) over all experiments was 12.6 x 104. At very low (1.5 mg/L) added DOM, VCFs dropped by approximately half. At very high (20 mg/L) added DOM, VCFs dropped 10-fold. Presumably, MeHg was bound to a variety of reduced sulfur sites on the DOM, making it unavailable for uptake. Diatoms accumulated significantly more MeHg when exposed to transphilic DOM extracts than hydrophobic ones. However, algal lysate, a labile type of DOM created by resuspending a marine diatom in freshwater, behaved similarly to a refractory DOM isolate from San Francisco Bay. Addition of 67 μM L-cysteine resulted in the largest drop in VCFs, to 0.28 x 104. Although the DOM composition influenced the availability of MeHg to some extent, total DOM concentration was the most important factor in determining algal bioaccumulation of MeHg.
Suggested Citation
Luengen, A.C., Fisher, N.S., Bergamaschi, B., 2012, Dissolved organic matter reduces algal accumulation of methylmercury: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, v. 31, no. 8, p. 1712-1719, https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.1885.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Dissolved organic matter reduces algal accumulation of methylmercury |
| Series title | Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry |
| DOI | 10.1002/etc.1885 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Publication Date | May 17, 2012 |
| Year Published | 2012 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Publisher location | Hoboken, NJ |
| Contributing office(s) | California Water Science Center, San Francisco Bay-Delta |
| Description | 8 p. |
| First page | 1712 |
| Last page | 1719 |