Mercury Stable Isotopes Reveal Influence of Foraging Depth on Mercury Concentrations and Growth in Pacific Bluefin Tuna

Environmental Science & Technology
Daniel J MadiganElsie M Sunderland

Abstract

Pelagic ecosystems are changing due to environmental and anthropogenic forces, with uncertain consequences for the ocean's top predators. Epipelagic and mesopelagic prey resources differ in quality and quantity, but their relative contribution to predator diets has been difficult to track. We measured mercury (Hg) stable isotopes in young (<2 years old) Pacific bluefin tuna (PBFT) and their prey species to explore the influence of foraging depth on growth and methylmercury (MeHg) exposure. PBFT total Hg (THg) in muscle ranged from 0.61 to 1.93 μg g-1 dw (1.31 μg g-1 dw ±0.37 SD; 99% ± 6% MeHg) and prey ranged from 0.01 to 1.76 μg g-1 dw (0.13 μg g-1 dw ±0.19 SD; 85% ± 18% MeHg). A systematic decrease in prey δ202Hg and Δ199Hg with increasing depth of occurrence and discrete isotopic signatures of epipelagic prey (δ202Hg: 0.74 to 1.49‰; Δ199Hg: 1.76-2.96‰) and mesopelagic prey (δ202Hg: 0.09 to 0.90‰; Δ199Hg: 0.62-1.95‰) allowed the use of Hg isotopes to track PBFT foraging depth. An isotopic mixing model was used to estimate the dietary proportion of mesopelagic prey in PBFT, which ranged from 17% to 55%. Increased mesopelagic foraging was significantly correlated with slower growth and higher MeHg concentrations in PBFT. The sl...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jul 9, 2020·Nature Communications·Ruoyu SunCongqiang Liu
Nov 18, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Joel D BlumAlan J Jamieson
Dec 17, 2019·The Science of the Total Environment·Martin Tsz-Ki TsuiSae Yun Kwon
Mar 17, 2021·Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety·Laurence MauriceValeria Ochoa-Herrera
Nov 26, 2020·Environmental Science & Technology·Gaël Le CroizierDavid Point
Apr 22, 2020·The Journal of Physical Chemistry. a·Laura C MottaPaul Zimmerman
Sep 15, 2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Chun-Mao TsengJohn R Reinfelder
Jun 27, 2020·Environmental Pollution·Gaël Le CroizierDavid Point
Sep 30, 2021·Environmental Science & Technology·Xiaoyan ZhangGuibin Jiang
Jan 14, 2020·The Science of the Total Environment·Miling LiElsie M Sunderland

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