Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope evidence for the low biomagnification of mercury in marine fish from the South China Sea
Wenfeng Zhang A B F , Weixiong Huang B , Xiao Chen C , Xingfen Yang D F and Xiaoguang Yang E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center of Rapid Testing Instrument for Food Nutrition and Safety, Guangdong Institute of Analysis (China National Analytical Center, Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 510070, PR China.
B National Reference Laboratory of Food Safety Risk Surveillance for Heavy Metal, Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, 511430, PR China.
C School of Food Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, PR China.
D Food Safety and Health Research Center, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, PR China.
E Key Laboratory of Trace Element Nutrition of Ministry of Health, National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 100050, PR China.
F Corresponding authors. Email: wenfengzhang08@126.com; 1592908305@qq.com
Marine and Freshwater Research 71(8) 1017-1025 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF19069
Submitted: 26 February 2019 Accepted: 13 October 2019 Published: 6 January 2020
Abstract
The low biomagnification of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in commercially important marine fish from the south coast of China has been demonstrated through the analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes. In this study, levels of THg, MeHg and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were determined. Stable isotope signatures of carbon and nitrogen (13C/12C, 15N/14N) were used to trace the carbon flow and reconstruct trophic interactions. Levels of THg and MeHg in fish muscle samples were <220 ng g–1. The trophic levels of sampled fish ranged from 2.31 to 5.03. The trophic magnification slopes were ~0.1 for both THg and MeHg, whereas the trophic magnification factor showed that the average biomagnification of THg and MeHg per trophic level was 3.02 and 2.87 ng Hg g–1 respectively along fish food chains, indicating low biomagnification potential of these mercury species. The low concentrations of MeHg and low biomagnification of mercury in marine fish may result from the trophic levels and habitats of these fish.
Additional keywords: environmental monitoring, food web, methylmercury, heavy metals.
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