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Hurtado TC, de Medeiros Costa G, de Carvalho GS, Brum BR, Ignácio ÁRA. Mercury and methylmercury concentration in the feathers of two species of Kingfishers Megaceryle torquata and Chloroceryle amazona in the Upper Paraguay Basin and Amazon Basin. Ecotoxicology 2023; 32:1084-1095. [PMID: 37349507 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-023-02680-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) contamination remains a significant environmental concern. In aquatic ecosystems, Hg can undergo methylation, forming its organic form, methylmercury (MeHg), which bioaccumulates and biomagnifies in the food chain, ultimately reaching the top predators, including waterfowl. The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution and levels of Hg in wing feathers, with a specific focus on evaluating heterogeneity in the primary feathers of two kingfisher species (Megaceryle torquata and Chloroceryle amazona). The concentrations of total Hg (THg) in the primary feathers of C. amazona individuals from the Juruena, Teles Pires, and Paraguay rivers were 4.724 ± 1.600, 4.003 ± 1.532, and 2.800 ± 1.475 µg/kg, respectively. The THg concentrations in the secondary feathers were 4.624 ± 1.718, 3.531 ± 1.361, and 2.779 ± 1.699 µg/kg, respectively. For M. torquata, the THg concentrations in the primary feathers from the Juruena, Teles Pires, and Paraguay rivers were 7.937 ± 3.830, 6.081 ± 2.598, and 4.697 ± 2.585 µg/kg, respectively. The THg concentrations in the secondary feathers were 7.891 ± 3.869, 5.124 ± 2.420, and 4.201 ± 2.176 µg/kg, respectively. The percentage of MeHg in the samples increased during THg recovery, with an average of 95% in primary feathers and 80% in secondary feathers. It is crucial to comprehend the current Hg concentrations in Neotropical birds to mitigate potential toxic effects on these species. Exposure to Hg can lead to reduced reproductive rates and behavioral changes, such as motor incoordination and impaired flight ability, ultimately resulting in population decline among bird populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thaysa Costa Hurtado
- Center for the Study of Limnology, Biodiversity and Ethnobiology of the Pantanal (CELBE) - Ecotoxicology Laboratory, University of the State of Mato Grosso, Cáceres, Brazil.
| | - Gerlane de Medeiros Costa
- Center for the Study of Limnology, Biodiversity and Ethnobiology of the Pantanal (CELBE) - Ecotoxicology Laboratory, University of the State of Mato Grosso, Cáceres, Brazil
| | - Giovani Spínola de Carvalho
- Center for the Study of Limnology, Biodiversity and Ethnobiology of the Pantanal (CELBE) - Ecotoxicology Laboratory, University of the State of Mato Grosso, Cáceres, Brazil
| | - Bruno Ramos Brum
- Center for the Study of Limnology, Biodiversity and Ethnobiology of the Pantanal (CELBE) - Ecotoxicology Laboratory, University of the State of Mato Grosso, Cáceres, Brazil
| | - Áurea Regina Alves Ignácio
- Center for the Study of Limnology, Biodiversity and Ethnobiology of the Pantanal (CELBE) - Ecotoxicology Laboratory, University of the State of Mato Grosso, Cáceres, Brazil
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Wang D, Li P, Cai Y, Luo M, Xu Z, Wu G, Qiu G. Enhanced Mercury Accumulation in Riparian Spiders: An Evidence of Insects' Emergence Effect in Aquatic and Upland Terrestrial Crossed Habitat. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 2023; 110:114. [PMID: 37316587 DOI: 10.1007/s00128-023-03755-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Many studies have focused on mercury (Hg) accumulation in both aquatic and terrestrial organisms, but the effects of aquatic Hg on terrestrial organisms have rarely been documented. Here we report the accumulation of Hg in two species of spiders, Argiope bruennichi, inhabiting paddy fields, and Nephila clavata, inhabiting small forests in the riparian zones of two hydroelectric reservoirs in Guiyang, southwest China. The mean concentration of total mercury (THg) was higher in N. clavata (0.38 mg kg-1) than in A. bruennichi (0.20 mg kg-1). The monthly average THg in N. clavata, collected consecutively from May to October, and the highest values for THg in June (1.2 mg kg-1) could be related to the emergence of aquatic insects during early summer, suggesting that emerging insects play a crucial role in the accumulation of Hg in riparian spiders. The high values could also be attributable to the different times of spider sampling or individual differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Pan Li
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochronology and Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Yiyu Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Muxinjian Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhidong Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China
| | - Gaoen Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China
| | - Guangle Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China.
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de Medeiros Costa G, Lázaro WL, Hurtado TC, Teodoro PE, Davée Guimarães JR, Ignácio ÁRA, Filho MDS, Díez S. New insights on the use of bill sheath as a biomonitoring tool for mercury in two kingfisher species: A comparison with different tissues. Environ Res 2023; 218:114966. [PMID: 36455629 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Bird species have been widely used as suitable bioindicators of environmental mercury (Hg). However, there is still some debate about the most suitable tissue to indicate Hg body burden in birds. For a long time, blood and feathers have proved to be relevant to monitor Hg at different time scales, and recently, bill sheath has been suggested as a potential tissue to this end. In the present study, we evaluated THg in muscle, liver, feathers, claws, and bill sheath in two waterbird species (i.e. the ringed and the Amazon kingfishers) from the Teles Pires, Juruena and Paraguay rivers. Considering all species and sites, feathers (5.47 ± 2.15 μg/g) and bill sheath (3.39 ± 1.37 μg/g) had mean THg concentrations about 2-, 3- and 10-times higher than claws, liver and muscle, respectively. When bird species were segregated, the ringed kingfisher showed THg values 1.8 times higher than the Amazon kingfisher in all tissues. Moreover, results showed that the Amazon kingfisher from the Juruena and Teles Pires rivers was clearly separated from the Paraguay River (control site), and was associated with higher THg values in the claws and feathers. Results obtained for the THg concentrations in bill sheath, muscle and liver tissues of the Amazon kingfisher using multivariate analysis of canonical variates (CVA) showed a pattern of segregation between the sampling areas, being the highest THg values in Teles Pires River samples. The largest bill sheath vector in the CVA suggests that this tissue is a key variable in the segregation of the samples. Overall, feathers may be useful for effects monitoring or spatial patterns, whereas bill sheath, which are more invasive, may be advantejous for temporal trends and retrospective studies of Hg pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerlane de Medeiros Costa
- Postgraduate Program in Environmental Sciences, Limnology Research Center, Biodiversity, Ethnobiology of the Pantanal (CELBE), State University of Mato Grosso - UNEMAT, Cáceres Campus, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Wilkinson Lopes Lázaro
- Postgraduate Program in Environmental Sciences, Limnology Research Center, Biodiversity, Ethnobiology of the Pantanal (CELBE), State University of Mato Grosso - UNEMAT, Cáceres Campus, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Thaysa Costa Hurtado
- Postgraduate Program in Environmental Sciences, Limnology Research Center, Biodiversity, Ethnobiology of the Pantanal (CELBE), State University of Mato Grosso - UNEMAT, Cáceres Campus, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | | | - Jean Remy Davée Guimarães
- Tracers Laboratory, Carlos Chagas Filho Biophysics Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ - Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Áurea Regina Alves Ignácio
- Postgraduate Program in Environmental Sciences, Limnology Research Center, Biodiversity, Ethnobiology of the Pantanal (CELBE), State University of Mato Grosso - UNEMAT, Cáceres Campus, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Manoel Dos Santos Filho
- Postgraduate Program in Environmental Sciences, Limnology Research Center, Biodiversity, Ethnobiology of the Pantanal (CELBE), State University of Mato Grosso - UNEMAT, Cáceres Campus, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Sergi Díez
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain.
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Rutkowska M, Falandysz J, Saba M, Szefer P, Misztal-Szkudlińska M, Konieczka P. A method for the analysis of methylmercury and total Hg in fungal matrices. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 106:5261-5272. [PMID: 35779096 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-022-12043-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the study was to develop an efficient method for the determination of monomethyl-mercury (MeHg) and total mercury (THg) content in materials such as fungal sporocarps and sclerotia. Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) with the assigned values of MeHg and THg as well as the control materials (dried mushrooms) with known content of THg were evaluated for method validation. Recovery of MeHg from reference materials was at the following levels: from tuna fish at 87.0 ± 2.3% (THg at 101.9 ± 1.2%), from fish protein at 99.4 ± 1.3% (THg at 92.70 ± 0.41%), and from dogfish liver at 96.45 ± 0.73%. Recovery of THg from the fungal control material CS-M-5 was at 104.01 ± 0.60% (contribution of MeHg in THg content was at 6.2%), from CS-M-4 at 101.1 ± 2.0% (contribution at 3.2%), from CS-M-3 at 100.55 ± 0.67% (contribution at 0.6%), and from CS-M-2 at 101.5 ± 2.7% (contribution at 3.7%). The content of MeHg in randomly selected wild fungi and their morphological parts was in the range from 0.006 to 0.173 mg kg-1 dry weight (dw). In the case of THg, the concentration values were in the range from 0.0108 to 10.27 mg kg-1 dw. The MeHg content in the control materials with the assigned THg values was determined. Since the control materials play an important role in all elements of the quality assurance system of measurement results, they can be used to analyse MeHg as the first control material for fungi. KEY POINTS: • An extraction procedure for MeHg analysis in fungi was developed and optimized. • Recovery of MeHg from the certified reference non-fungal materials was > 87%. • Fungal control materials with assigned THg concentration can serve also for MeHg analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Małgorzata Rutkowska
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, 11/12 G. Narutowicza Street, 80-233, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Jerzy Falandysz
- Department of Toxicology, Medical University of Lodz, 1 Muszyńskiego Street, 90-151, Lódź, Poland.
| | - Martyna Saba
- Główny Inspektorat Jakości Handlowej Artykułów Rolno-Spożywczych, Laboratorium Specjalistyczne w Gdyni, Al. Marszałka Piłsudskiego 8/12, Gdynia, 81-378, Poland
| | - Piotr Szefer
- Department of Food Sciences, Medical University of Gdańsk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416, Gdańsk, Poland
| | | | - Piotr Konieczka
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, 11/12 G. Narutowicza Street, 80-233, Gdańsk, Poland
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Chételat J, Ackerman JT, Eagles-Smith CA, Hebert CE. Methylmercury exposure in wildlife: A review of the ecological and physiological processes affecting contaminant concentrations and their interpretation. Sci Total Environ 2020; 711:135117. [PMID: 31831233 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) can result in detrimental health effects in wildlife. With advances in ecological indicators and analytical techniques for measurement of MeHg in a variety of tissues, numerous processes have been identified that can influence MeHg concentrations in wildlife. This review presents a synthesis of theoretical principals and applied information for measuring MeHg exposure and interpreting MeHg concentrations in wildlife. Mercury concentrations in wildlife are the net result of ecological processes influencing dietary exposure combined with physiological processes that regulate assimilation, transformation, and elimination. Therefore, consideration of both physiological and ecological processes should be integrated when formulating biomonitoring strategies. Ecological indicators, particularly stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur, compound-specific stable isotopes, and fatty acids, can be effective tools to evaluate dietary MeHg exposure. Animal species differ in their physiological capacity for MeHg elimination, and animal tissues can be inert or physiologically active, act as sites of storage, transformation, or excretion of MeHg, and vary in the timing of MeHg exposure they represent. Biological influences such as age, sex, maternal transfer, and growth or fasting are also relevant for interpretation of tissue MeHg concentrations. Wildlife tissues that represent current or near-term bioaccumulation and in which MeHg is the predominant mercury species (such as blood and eggs) are most effective for biomonitoring ecosystems and understanding landscape drivers of MeHg exposure. Further research is suggested to critically evaluate the use of keratinized external tissues to measure MeHg bioaccumulation, particularly for less-well studied wildlife such as reptiles and terrestrial mammals. Suggested methods are provided to effectively use wildlife for quantifying patterns and drivers of MeHg bioaccumulation over time and space, as well as for assessing the potential risk and toxicological effects of MeHg on wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Chételat
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada.
| | - Joshua T Ackerman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, CA 95620, United States
| | - Collin A Eagles-Smith
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, United States
| | - Craig E Hebert
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada
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Zou H, Zhou C, Li Y, Yang X, Wen J, Li C, Song S, Sun C. Speciation analysis of mercury in wild edible mushrooms by high-performance liquid chromatography hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Anal Bioanal Chem 2020; 412:2829-40. [DOI: 10.1007/s00216-020-02515-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Mathew M, Aravindakumar CT, Aravind UK. Unravelling the fibrillation mechanism of ovalbumin in the presence of mercury at its isoelectric pH. RSC Adv 2020; 10:16415-16421. [PMID: 35498851 PMCID: PMC9052921 DOI: 10.1039/c9ra10655c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The intriguing resemblances of amyloid fibrils and spider silk in protein aggregation diseases have instigated the exploration of identical structural features if any in their oligomeric pathways. The serpin group protein, ovalbumin, on defolding in HgCl2 shares commonness to the micellar pathway of spidroins for their aggregation in response to a pH trigger. The structural feature changes from monomer to worm like fibril with a shift in the primary protein pH to slightly acidic pH (4.5), and then proceeds through a secondary nucleation pathway to ‘hillock’ and ‘hydra’ like protofibrils rich in β-sheet and random coil conformers upon exposure to mercury. The findings are backed by atomic force microscopy, confocal Raman spectroscopy and fluorescence measurements. Unlocking such structural features can favorably assist in the design of therapeutics. Mercuric chloride triggered ovalbumin aggregation pathway and its resemblance to Nephila clavipes.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Manjumol Mathew
- Advanced Centre of Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development
- Mahatma Gandhi University
- Kottayam-686 560
- India
| | - Charuvila T. Aravindakumar
- School of Environmental Sciences
- Inter University Instrumentation Centre
- Mahatma Gandhi University
- Kottayam-686 560
- India
| | - Usha K. Aravind
- School of Environmental Studies
- Cochin University of Science and Technology
- Kochi-682022
- India
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