Broad-Scale Assessment of Methylmercury in Adult Amphibians.

Autor: Tornabene BJ; U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Missoula, Montana 59801, United States., Hossack BR; U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Missoula, Montana 59801, United States.; Wildlife Biology Program, W. A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59812, United States., Halstead BJ; U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon, California 95620, United States., Eagles-Smith CA; U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 United States., Adams MJ; U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 United States., Backlin AR; U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, San Diego, California 92101, United States., Brand AB; U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center (Patuxent Wildlife Research Center), Turners Falls, Massachusetts 01376, United States., Emery CS; U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 United States., Fisher RN; U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, San Diego, California 92101, United States., Fleming J; U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center (Patuxent Wildlife Research Center), Turners Falls, Massachusetts 01376, United States., Glorioso BM; U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Lafayette, Louisiana 70506, United States., Grear DA; U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin 53711, United States., Grant EHC; U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center (Patuxent Wildlife Research Center), Turners Falls, Massachusetts 01376, United States., Kleeman PM; U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Point Reyes Station, California 94956, United States., Miller DAW; Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States., Muths E; U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526, United States., Pearl CA; U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 United States., Rowe JC; U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 United States., Rumrill CT; U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 United States., Waddle JH; U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, Florida 32653, United States., Winzeler ME; U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin 53711, United States., Smalling KL; U.S. Geological Survey, New Jersey Water Science Center, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648, United States.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Environmental science & technology [Environ Sci Technol] 2023 Nov 14; Vol. 57 (45), pp. 17511-17521. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Oct 30.
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05549
Abstrakt: Mercury (Hg) is a toxic contaminant that has been mobilized and distributed worldwide and is a threat to many wildlife species. Amphibians are facing unprecedented global declines due to many threats including contaminants. While the biphasic life history of many amphibians creates a potential nexus for methylmercury (MeHg) exposure in aquatic habitats and subsequent health effects, the broad-scale distribution of MeHg exposure in amphibians remains unknown. We used nonlethal sampling to assess MeHg bioaccumulation in 3,241 juvenile and adult amphibians during 2017-2021. We sampled 26 populations (14 species) across 11 states in the United States, including several imperiled species that could not have been sampled by traditional lethal methods. We examined whether life history traits of species and whether the concentration of total mercury in sediment or dragonflies could be used as indicators of MeHg bioaccumulation in amphibians. Methylmercury contamination was widespread, with a 33-fold difference in concentrations across sites. Variation among years and clustered subsites was less than variation across sites. Life history characteristics such as size, sex, and whether the amphibian was a frog, toad, newt, or other salamander were the factors most strongly associated with bioaccumulation. Total Hg in dragonflies was a reliable indicator of bioaccumulation of MeHg in amphibians (R 2 ≥ 0.67), whereas total Hg in sediment was not (R 2 ≤ 0.04). Our study, the largest broad-scale assessment of MeHg bioaccumulation in amphibians, highlights methodological advances that allow for nonlethal sampling of rare species and reveals immense variation among species, life histories, and sites. Our findings can help identify sensitive populations and provide environmentally relevant concentrations for future studies to better quantify the potential threats of MeHg to amphibians.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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