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Monteiro LC, Vieira LCG, Bernardi JVE, Recktenvald MCNDN, Nery AFDC, Fernandes IO, de Miranda VL, da Rocha DMS, de Almeida R, Bastos WR. Mercury distribution, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification in riparian ecosystems from a neotropical savanna floodplain, Araguaia River, central Brazil. Environ Res 2024; 252:118906. [PMID: 38609069 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118906] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Litterfall is the main source of dry deposition of mercury (Hg) into the soil in forest ecosystems. The accumulation of Hg in soil and litter suggests the possibility of transfer to terrestrial invertebrates through environmental exposure or ingestion of plant tissues. We quantified total mercury (THg) concentrations in two soil layers (organic: 0-0.2 m; mineral: 0.8-1 m), litter, fresh leaves, and terrestrial invertebrates of the Araguaia River floodplain, aiming to evaluate the THg distribution among terrestrial compartments, bioaccumulation in invertebrates, and the factors influencing THg concentrations in soil and invertebrates. The mean THg concentrations were significantly different between the compartments evaluated, being higher in organic soil compared to mineral soil, and higher in litter compared to mineral soil and fresh leaves. Soil organic matter content was positively related to THg concentration in this compartment. The order Araneae showed significantly higher Hg concentrations among the most abundant invertebrate taxa. The higher Hg concentrations in Araneae were positively influenced by the concentrations determined in litter and individuals of the order Hymenoptera, confirming the process of biomagnification in the terrestrial trophic chain. In contrast, the THg concentrations in Coleoptera, Orthoptera and Hymenoptera were not significantly related to the concentrations determined in the soil, litter and fresh leaves. Our results showed the importance of organic matter for the immobilization of THg in the soil and indicated the process of biomagnification in the terrestrial food web, providing insights for future studies on the environmental distribution of Hg in floodplains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Cabrera Monteiro
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil; Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais e Limnológicas, Faculdade UnB Planaltina, Universidade de Brasília, Planaltina, DF, Brazil; Laboratório de Geoestatística e Geodésia, Faculdade UnB Planaltina, Universidade de Brasília, Planaltina, DF, Brazil.
| | - Ludgero Cardoso Galli Vieira
- Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais e Limnológicas, Faculdade UnB Planaltina, Universidade de Brasília, Planaltina, DF, Brazil
| | - José Vicente Elias Bernardi
- Laboratório de Geoestatística e Geodésia, Faculdade UnB Planaltina, Universidade de Brasília, Planaltina, DF, Brazil
| | | | | | - Iara Oliveira Fernandes
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais, Faculdade UnB Planaltina, Universidade de Brasília, Planaltina, DF, Brazil
| | - Vinicius Lima de Miranda
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | | | - Ronaldo de Almeida
- Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho, RO, Brazil
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Méndez-López M, Eimil-Fraga C, Alonso-Vega F, Rodríguez-Soalleiro R, Álvarez-Rodríguez E, Arias-Estévez M, Nóvoa-Muñoz JC. Variation of Hg concentration and accumulation in the soil of maritime pine plantations along a coast-inland transect in SW Europe. Environ Res 2023; 231:116155. [PMID: 37196692 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116155] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Climatic conditions have been shown as a major driver of the fate of Hg in forest ecosystems at a global scale, but less is known about climatic effects at shorter scales. This study assesses whether the concentration and pools of Hg in soils collected from seventeen Pinus pinaster stands describing a coastal-inland transect in SW Europe vary along a regional climatic gradient. In each stand, samples of the organic subhorizons (OL, OF + OH) and the mineral soil (up to 40 cm) were collected and some general physico-chemical properties and total Hg (THg) were analyzed. Total Hg was significantly higher in the OF + OH than in the OL subhorizons (98 and 38 μg kg-1, respectively), favored by a greater organic matter humification in the former. In the mineral soil, mean THg values decreased with depth, ranging from 96 μg kg-1 in the 0-5 cm layers to 54 μg kg-1 in the deepest layers (30-40 cm), respectively. The average Hg pool (PHg) was 0.30 mg m-2 in the organic horizons (92% accumulated in the OF + OH subhorizons), and 27.4 mg m-2 in the mineral soil. Changes in climatic factors, mainly precipitation, along the coast-inland transect resulted in a remarkable variation of THg in the OL subhorizons, consistent with their role as the first receiver of atmospheric Hg inputs. The high precipitation rate and the occurrence of fogs in coastal areas characterized by the oceanic influence would explain the higher THg found in the uppermost soil layers of pine stands located close to the coastline. The regional climate is key to the fate of mercury in forest ecosystems by influencing the plant growth and subsequent atmospheric Hg uptake, the atmospheric Hg transference to the soil surface (wet and dry deposition and litterfall) and the dynamics that determine net Hg accumulation in the forest floor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Méndez-López
- Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Bioloxía Vexetal e Ciencia do Solo, Área de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Ciencias. As Lagoas S/n, 32004, Ourense, Spain; Campus da Auga, Universidade de Vigo, Laboratorio de Tecnoloxía e Diagnose Ambiental. Rúa Canella da Costa da Vela 12, 32004, Ourense, Spain.
| | - Cristina Eimil-Fraga
- Unidad de Gestión Ambiental y Forestal Sostenible, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Rúa Benigno Ledo S/n, 27002, Lugo, Spain
| | - Flora Alonso-Vega
- Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Bioloxía Vexetal e Ciencia do Solo, Área de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Ciencias. As Lagoas S/n, 32004, Ourense, Spain; Campus da Auga, Universidade de Vigo, Laboratorio de Tecnoloxía e Diagnose Ambiental. Rúa Canella da Costa da Vela 12, 32004, Ourense, Spain
| | - Roque Rodríguez-Soalleiro
- Unidad de Gestión Ambiental y Forestal Sostenible, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Rúa Benigno Ledo S/n, 27002, Lugo, Spain
| | - Esperanza Álvarez-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Edafología y Química Agrícola, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Rúa Benigno Ledo S/n, 27002, Lugo, Spain
| | - Manuel Arias-Estévez
- Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Bioloxía Vexetal e Ciencia do Solo, Área de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Ciencias. As Lagoas S/n, 32004, Ourense, Spain; Campus da Auga, Universidade de Vigo, Laboratorio de Tecnoloxía e Diagnose Ambiental. Rúa Canella da Costa da Vela 12, 32004, Ourense, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Nóvoa-Muñoz
- Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Bioloxía Vexetal e Ciencia do Solo, Área de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Ciencias. As Lagoas S/n, 32004, Ourense, Spain; Campus da Auga, Universidade de Vigo, Laboratorio de Tecnoloxía e Diagnose Ambiental. Rúa Canella da Costa da Vela 12, 32004, Ourense, Spain
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Xia J, Wang J, Zhang L, Wang X, Yuan W, Peng T, Zheng L, Tian W, Feng X. Migration and transformation of soil mercury in a karst region of southwest China: Implications for groundwater contamination. Water Res 2022; 226:119271. [PMID: 36283232 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Guizhou Province is located in the heart of a karst zone in southwest China, which is one of the largest karst areas in the world. Given the fragile surface ecosystem and highly developed underground karst structure, the migration and transformation of soil Hg may impact groundwater quality in karst environments with high Hg background concentrations. This study examines the vertical migration and transformation of soil mercury (Hg) in two karst catchments, Huilong and Chenqi, with the former containing high Hg contents associated with mineralization and the latter representing regional background Hg. The results show that the soil Hg pool in the Huilong catchment was as high as 44.4 ± 4.2 g m-2, whereas in the Chenqi catchment was only 0.17±0.02 g m-2. Compared with farmland soil, forest soil showed a significant loss of Hg. The results of L3 X-ray absorption near edge structure of Hg indicated that α-HgS, the primary mineral of Hg ore, gradually changed to other mineral types during soil formation. In Huilong catchment, the proportion of organic bound Hg(SR)2 out of total Hg decreased from 44.0% to 20.3% when soil depth increased from 10 cm to 160 cm in farmland soil profile and from 39.3% to 34.5% in forest soil profile, while the proportion of ionic Hg increased with soil depth, from 4.2% to 10.7% in the farmland soil profile and from 6.7% to 11.6% in the forestland soil profile. Results from the triple-mixing isotope model show that soil Hg accounts for more than 80% Hg in groundwater in the two catchments. Results from this study indicate potential risks of soil Hg entering into groundwater in this karst area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jicheng Xia
- 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
| | - Jianxu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
| | - Leiming Zhang
- Air Quality Research Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, ON M3H 5T4, Canada
| | - Xun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
| | - Wei Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
| | - Tao Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China; Puding Karst Ecosystem Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Puding 562100, China
| | - Lirong Zheng
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Weijun Tian
- 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
| | - Xinbin Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China.
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Chen C, Huang JH, Meusburger K, Li K, Fu X, Rinklebe J, Alewell C, Feng X. The interplay between atmospheric deposition and soil dynamics of mercury in Swiss and Chinese boreal forests: A comparison study. Environ Pollut 2022; 307:119483. [PMID: 35595001 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Taking advantage of the different histories of Hg deposition in Davos Seehornwald in E-Switzerland and Changbai Mountain in NE-China, the influence of atmospheric deposition on Hg soil dynamics in forest soil profiles was investigated. Today, Hg fluxes in bulk precipitation were similar, and soil profiles were generally sinks for atmospherically deposited Hg at both sites. Noticeably, a net release of 2.07 μg Hg m-2 yr-1 from the Bs horizon (Podzol) in Seehornwald was highlighted, where Hg concentration (up to 73.9 μg kg-1) and soil storage (100 mg m-3) peaked. Sequential extraction revealed that organic matter and crystalline Fe and Al hydr (oxide)-associated Hg decreased in the E horizon but increased in the Bs horizon as compared to the Ah horizon, demonstrating the coupling of Hg dynamics with the podzolisation process and accumulation of legacy Hg deposited last century in the Bs horizon. The mor humus in Seehornwald allowed Hg enrichment in the forest floor (182-269 μg kg-1). In Changbai Mountain, the Hg concentrations in the Cambisol surface layer with mull humus were markedly lower (<148 μg kg-1), but with much higher Hg soil storage (54-120 mg m-3) than in the Seehornwald forest floor (18-27 mg m-3). Thus, the vertical distribution pattern of Hg was influenced by humus form and soil type. The concentrations of Hg in soil porewater in Seehornwald (3.4-101 ng L-1) and in runoff of Changbai Mountain (1.26-5.62 ng L-1) were all low. Moreover, the pools of readily extractable Hg in the soils at both sites were all <2% of total Hg. Therefore, the potential of Hg release from the forest soil profile to the adjacent aquatic environment is currently low at both sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaoyue Chen
- 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
| | - Jen-How Huang
- Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Katrin Meusburger
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Kai Li
- 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
| | - Xuewu Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China; Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xian, 710061, China
| | - Jörg Rinklebe
- University of Wuppertal, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Institute of Foundation Engineering, Water and Waste Management, Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Management, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285, Wuppertal, Germany; International Research Centre of Nanotechnology for Himalayan Sustainability (IRCNHS), Shoolini University, Solan, 173212, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Christine Alewell
- Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Xinbin Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China; Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xian, 710061, China.
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