Resolving a paradox—high mercury deposition, but low bioaccumulation in northeastern Puerto Rico

• Published in: Ecotoxicology (London) Vol. 29; no. 8; pp. 1207 - 1220
• Main Authors: Shanley, James B., Marvin-DiPasquale, Mark, Lane, Oksana, Arendt, Wayne, Hall, Steven, McDowell, William H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.10.2020; Springer
• Subjects: altitude; Analysis; bioaccumulation; birds; blood; demethylation; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; ecosystems; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Food chains (Ecology); food webs; foraging; highlands; Hydrology; landscapes; Local food; mercury; Methylation; methylmercury compounds; Puerto Rico; rain; Rain and rainfall; sediments; Sediments (Geology); soil; trade winds; United States; wetlands; United States; Puerto Rico; Sulfate reduction; Trophic uptake; Demethylation; Puerto Rico; Iron reduction; Methylmercury
• ISSN: 0963-9292; 1573-3017; 1573-3017
• DOI: 10.1007/s10646-019-02108-z

At a “clean air” trade winds site in northeastern Puerto Rico, we found an apparent paradox: atmospheric total mercury (THg) deposition was highest of any site in the USA Mercury Deposition Network, but assimilation into the local food web was quite low. Avian blood THg concentrations (n = 31, from...