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Heredia C, Guédron S, Point D, Perrot V, Campillo S, Verin C, Espinoza ME, Fernandez P, Duwig C, Achá D. Anthropogenic eutrophication of Lake Titicaca (Bolivia) revealed by carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes fingerprinting. Sci Total Environ 2022; 845:157286. [PMID: 35835190 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157286] [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: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Cultural eutrophication is the leading cause of water quality degradation worldwide. The traditional monitoring of eutrophication is time-consuming and not integrative in space and time. Here, we examined the use of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic composition to track the degree of eutrophication in a bay of Lake Titicaca impacted by anthropogenic (urban, industrial and agricultural wastewater) discharges. Our results show increasing δ13C and decreasing δ15N signatures in macrophytes and suspended particulate matter with distance to the wastewater source. In contrast to δ15N and δ13C signatures, in-between aquatic plants distributed along the slope were not only affected by anthropogenic discharges but also by the pathway of carbon uptake, i.e., atmospheric (emerged) vs aquatic (submerged). A binary mixing model elaborated from pristine and anthropogenic isotope end-members allowed the assessment of anthropogenically derived C and N incorporation in macrophytes with distance to the source. Higher anthropogenic contribution was observed during the wet season, attributed to enhanced wastewater discharges and leaching of agricultural areas. For both seasons, eutrophication was however found naturally attenuated within 6 to 8 km from the wastewater source. Here, we confirm that carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes are simple, integrative and time-saving tools to evaluate the degree of eutrophication (seasonally or annually) in anthropogenically impacted aquatic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Heredia
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, IFSTAR, ISTerre, 38000 Grenoble, France.; Instituto de Ecología, Unidad de Calidad Ambiental (UCA), Carrera de Biología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Campus Universitario de Cota Cota, casilla 3161, La Paz, Bolivia..
| | - S Guédron
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, IFSTAR, ISTerre, 38000 Grenoble, France.; Laboratorio de Hidroquímica - Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas - Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Campus Universitario de Cota-Cota, casilla 3161, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - D Point
- Instituto de Ecología, Unidad de Calidad Ambiental (UCA), Carrera de Biología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Campus Universitario de Cota Cota, casilla 3161, La Paz, Bolivia.; Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET) - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), CNRS, Université de Toulouse, France
| | - V Perrot
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, IFSTAR, ISTerre, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - S Campillo
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, IFSTAR, ISTerre, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - C Verin
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, IFSTAR, ISTerre, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - M E Espinoza
- Instituto de Ecología, Unidad de Calidad Ambiental (UCA), Carrera de Biología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Campus Universitario de Cota Cota, casilla 3161, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - P Fernandez
- Instituto de Ecología, Unidad de Calidad Ambiental (UCA), Carrera de Biología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Campus Universitario de Cota Cota, casilla 3161, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - C Duwig
- Laboratorio de Hidroquímica - Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas - Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Campus Universitario de Cota-Cota, casilla 3161, La Paz, Bolivia.; Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, IFSTTAR, IGE, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - D Achá
- Instituto de Ecología, Unidad de Calidad Ambiental (UCA), Carrera de Biología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Campus Universitario de Cota Cota, casilla 3161, La Paz, Bolivia
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Lanza WG, Achá D, Point D, Masbou J, Alanoca L, Amouroux D, Lazzaro X. Association of a Specific Algal Group with Methylmercury Accumulation in Periphyton of a Tropical High-Altitude Andean Lake. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 2017; 72:1-10. [PMID: 27822581 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-016-0324-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Accepted: 10/21/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Periphyton relevance for methylmercury (MeHg) production and accumulation are now well known in aquatic ecosystems. Sulfate-reducing bacteria and other microbial groups were identified as the main MeHg producers, but the effect of periphyton algae on the accumulation and transfer of MeHg to the food web remains little studied. Here we investigated the role of specific groups of algae on MeHg accumulation in the periphyton of Schoenoplectus californicus ssp. (Totora) and Myriophyllum sp. in Uru Uru, a tropical high-altitude Bolivian lake with substantial fishing and mining activities accruing around it. MeHg concentrations were most strongly related to the cell abundance of the Chlorophyte genus Oedogonium (r 2 = 0.783, p = 0.0126) and to no other specific genus despite the presence of other 34 genera identified. MeHg was also related to total chlorophyll-a (total algae) (r 2 = 0.675, p = 0.0459), but relations were more significant with chlorophyte cell numbers, chlorophyll-b (chlorophytes), and chlorophyll-c (diatoms and dinoflagellates) (r 2 = 0.72, p = 0.028, r 2 = 0.744, p = 0.0214, and r 2 = 0.766, p = 0.0161 respectively). However, Oedogonium explains most variability of chlorophytes and chlorophyll-c (r 2 = 0.856, p = < 0.001 and r 2 = 0.619, p = 0.002, respectively), suggesting it is the most influential group for MeHg accumulation and periphyton algae composition at this particular location and given time.
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Affiliation(s)
- William G Lanza
- Carrera de Biología, Unidad de Calidad Ambiental, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Darío Achá
- Carrera de Biología, Unidad de Calidad Ambiental, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia.
| | - David Point
- Institut de Recherche pour le Dev́eloppement, Université de Toulouse III, CNRS, IRD, 31400, Toulouse, France
| | - Jeremy Masbou
- Institut de Recherche pour le Dev́eloppement, Université de Toulouse III, CNRS, IRD, 31400, Toulouse, France
| | - Lucia Alanoca
- Institut de Recherche pour le Dev́eloppement, Université de Toulouse III, CNRS, IRD, 31400, Toulouse, France
- LCABIE-IPREM, UMR 5254 - CNRS, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, 64053, Pau, France
| | - David Amouroux
- Institut de Recherche pour le Dev́eloppement, Université de Toulouse III, CNRS, IRD, 31400, Toulouse, France
- LCABIE-IPREM, UMR 5254 - CNRS, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, 64053, Pau, France
| | - Xavier Lazzaro
- Unité Mixte de Recherche Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA UMR 7208), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement-207; CP53, 61 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
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Rivera SJ, Pacheco LF, Achá D, Molina CI, Miranda-Chumacero G. Low total mercury in Caiman yacare (Alligatoridae) as compared to carnivorous, and non-carnivorous fish consumed by Amazonian indigenous communities. Environ Pollut 2016; 218:366-371. [PMID: 27427172 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 04/10/2016] [Revised: 07/04/2016] [Accepted: 07/04/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Mercury contamination in the River Beni basin is an important health risk factor, primarily for indigenous communities that live along the river. Among them are the Tacana, living in their original territory with sustainable use of their natural resources, consuming fish, Caiman yacare, and other riverine resources as their main source of protein. To assess mercury exposure to Tacana people, total mercury (THg) was evaluated in the muscle of seven commercial fish, and Caiman yacare (yacare caiman) during 2007 and 2008. THg was extracted by acid digestion and concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. Mean mercury concentrations in C. yacare was 0.21 ± 0.22 μg g-1Hg w.w. (wet weight), which is lower than expected given its high trophic level, and its long life-span. It is possible that mercury in C. yacare is accumulated in other organs, not included in this study; but it is also possible that physiological mechanisms are involved that help caimans get rid of ingested mercury, or simply that C. yacare's diverse diet reduces THg accumulation. Carnivorous fishes (Pygocentrus nattereri, Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum, Zungaro zungaro, Plagioscion squamosissimus, and Leiarius marmoratus) had the highest total mercury concentrations, ranging from 0.35 to 1.27 μg g-1Hg w.w. moreover, most were above the limit recommended by WHO (0.5 μg g-1Hg w.w.); except for Leiarius marmuratus, which presented a mean of 0.353 ± 0.322 μg g-1Hg w.w. The two non-carnivorous fish species (Prochilodus nigricans, and Piaractus brachypomus) present mean concentrations of 0.099 ± 0.027, and 0.041 ± 0.019 μg g-1Hg w.w., respectively. Finally, recommendations on the consumption habits of Tacana communities are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Rivera
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Greater Madidi-Tambopata Landscape Conservation Program, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - L F Pacheco
- Colección Boliviana de Fauna, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, P.O. Box 10077, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - D Achá
- Unidad de Calidad Ambiental, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, P.O. Box 10077, La Paz, Bolivia.
| | - C I Molina
- Unidad de Calidad Ambiental, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, P.O. Box 10077, La Paz, Bolivia; Instituto de Ecología, Unidad de Limnología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, P.O. Box 10077, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - G Miranda-Chumacero
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Greater Madidi-Tambopata Landscape Conservation Program, La Paz, Bolivia; Instituto de Ecología, Unidad de Limnología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, P.O. Box 10077, La Paz, Bolivia
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Achá D, Hintelmann H, Yee J. Importance of sulfate reducing bacteria in mercury methylation and demethylation in periphyton from Bolivian Amazon region. Chemosphere 2011; 82:911-6. [PMID: 21074243 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.10.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2010] [Revised: 10/16/2010] [Accepted: 10/18/2010] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are important mercury methylators in sediments, but information on mercury methylators in other compartments is ambiguous. To investigate SRB involvement in methylation in Amazonian periphyton, the relationship between Hg methylation potential and SRB (Desulfobacteraceae, Desulfobulbaceae and Desulfovibrionaceae) abundance in Eichhornia crassipes and Polygonum densiflorum root associated periphyton was examined. Periphyton subsamples of each macrophyte were amended with electron donors (lactate, acetate and propionate) or inhibitors (molybdate) of sulfate reduction to create differences in SRB subgroup abundance, which was measured by quantitative real-time PCR with primers specific for the 16S rRNA gene. Mercury methylation and demethylation potentials were determined by a stable isotope tracer technique using 200HgCl and CH3(202)HgCl, respectively. Relative abundance of Desulfobacteraceae (<0.01-12.5%) and Desulfovibrionaceae (0.01-6.8%) were both highly variable among samples and subsamples, but a significant linear relationship (p<0.05) was found between Desulfobacteraceae abundance and net methylmercury formation among treatments of the same macrophyte periphyton and among all P. densiflorum samples, suggesting that Desulfobacteraceae bacteria are the most important mercury methylators among SRB families. Yet, molybdate only partially inhibited mercury methylation potentials, suggesting the involvement of other microorganisms as well. The response of net methylmercury production to the different electron donors and molybdate was highly variable (3-1104 pg g(-1) in 12 h) among samples, as was the net formation in control samples (17-164 pg g(-1) in 12 h). This demonstrates the importance of community variability and complexity of microbial interactions for the overall methylmercury production in periphyton and their response to external stimulus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darío Achá
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Department of Chemistry, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9J 7B8.
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Achá D, Iñiguez V, Roulet M, Guimarães JRD, Luna R, Alanoca L, Sanchez S. Sulfate-reducing bacteria in floating macrophyte rhizospheres from an Amazonian floodplain lake in Bolivia and their association with Hg methylation. Appl Environ Microbiol 2005; 71:7531-5. [PMID: 16269796 PMCID: PMC1287671 DOI: 10.1128/aem.71.11.7531-7535.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Five subgroups of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were detected by PCR in three macrophyte rhizospheres (Polygonum densiflorum, Hymenachne donacifolia, and Ludwigia helminthorriza) and three subgroups in Eichhornia crassipes from La Granja, a floodplain lake from the upper Madeira basin. The SRB community varied according to the macrophyte species but with different degrees of association with their roots. The rhizosphere of the C4 plant Polygonum densiflorum had higher frequencies of SRB subgroups as well as higher mercury methylation potentials (27.5 to 36.1%) and carbon (16.06 +/- 5.40%), nitrogen (2.03 +/- 0.64%), Hg (94.50 +/- 6.86 ng Hg g(-1)), and methylmercury (8.25 +/- 1.45 ng Hg g(-1)) contents than the rhizosphere of the C3 plant Eichhornia crassipes. Mercury methylation in Polygonum densiflorum and Eichhornia crassipes was reduced when SRB metabolism was inhibited by sodium molybdate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darío Achá
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias Puras, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia.
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