Mercury concentrations in Seaside Sparrows and Marsh Rice Rats differ across the Mississippi River Estuary.

ABSTRACT: Mercury (Hg) concentrations and their associated toxicological effects in terrestrial ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico are largely unknown. Compounding this uncertainty, a large input of organic matter from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill may have altered Hg cycling and bioaccumulation dynamics. To test this idea, we quantified blood concentrations of total mercury (THg) in Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima) and Marsh Rice Rats (Oryzomys palustris) in marshes west and east of the Mississippi River in 2015 and 2016. We also tested for a difference in THg concentrations between oiled and non-oiled sites. To address the potential confounding effect of diet variation on Hg transfer, we used stable nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) and carbon (δ¹³C) isotope values as proxies of trop

SUBMITTER: Bonisoli-Alquati A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11399195 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature