Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 0A2 Canada.
Environ Sci Technol. 2009 Dec 1;43(23):8759-66. doi: 10.1021/es9024589.
Mercury cycling in prairie ecosystems is poorly understood. We examined methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in whole water from 49 diverse prairie wetlands and lakes in Saskatchewan. We also determined total Hg (THg) concentrations in waterfowl harvested by hunters for consumption. Average whole water MeHg concentrations ranged from 0.02 to over 4 ng L(-1) and were higher in water from wetland ponds compared to those in lakes. High MeHg concentrations in prairie wetlands present the possibility of increased Hg concentrations in biota inhabiting these and other similar systems. We therefore measured THg in 72 birds representing 13 species of waterfowl that commonly use prairie aquatic habitats. A large range in THg concentrations was observed among individual birds, with values ranging from below the detection limit to over 435 ng g(-1). When waterfowl were classified according to diet, we observed clear evidence of THg biomagnification with increasing proportion of animal prey consumed. THg concentrations in waterfowl collected by hunters did not exceed consumption guidelines of 0.5 mg kg(-1) developed for fish. This is the first study that has reported MeHg concentrations in water from the prairie pothole region of southern Saskatchewan.
草原生态系统中的汞循环仍知之甚少。我们检测了来自萨斯喀彻温省 49 个不同草原湿地和湖泊的全水样中的甲基汞（MeHg）浓度。我们还测定了猎人为食用而捕获的水禽中的总汞（THg）浓度。全水样中的平均 MeHg 浓度范围从 0.02 到超过 4ng/L，湿地池塘中的浓度高于湖泊。草原湿地中高浓度的 MeHg 可能导致栖息在这些和其他类似系统中的生物体内的汞浓度增加。因此，我们测量了 72 只代表 13 种常见的水禽物种的鸟类中的 THg 浓度。观察到个体鸟类之间的 THg 浓度有很大的差异，范围从低于检测限到超过 435ng/g。当根据饮食对水禽进行分类时，我们观察到随着动物猎物比例的增加，THg 生物放大的明显证据。猎人捕获的水禽中的 THg 浓度未超过为鱼类制定的 0.5mg/kg 的食用指南。这是首次报道萨斯喀彻温省南部草原锅穴地区水样中的 MeHg 浓度的研究。
