Comparing nearshore benthic and pelagic prey as mercury sources to lake fish: the importance of prey quality and mercury content.

ABSTRACT: Mercury (Hg) bioaccumulation in fish poses well-known health risks to wildlife and humans through fish consumption. Yet fish Hg concentrations are highly variable, and key factors driving this variability remain unclear. One little studied source of variation is the influence of habitat-specific feeding on Hg accumulation in lake fish. However, this is likely important because most lake fish feed in multiple habitats during their lives, and the Hg and caloric content of prey from different habitats can differ. This study used a three-pronged approach to investigate the extent to which habitat-specific prey determine differences in Hg bioaccumulation in fish. This study first compared Hg concentrations in common nearshore benthic invertebrates and pelagic zooplankton across five lakes and o

SUBMITTER: Karimi R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4939281 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature