Mercury methylation by a microbial community from sediments of the Adour Estuary (Bay of Biscay, France).
In order to study the influence of microorganisms on the mercury biogeochemistry, the metal content and the structure of microbial communities were determined in sediments from stations along the Adour Estuary. The comparison of the bacterial communities and their distribution in function of the environmental parameters by Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) revealed the influence of metals on the bacterial communities structure. Sediments where the bacterial communities are mostly influenced by methylmercury were incubated in slurries with or without mercury, under oxic and anoxic conditions. Methylmercury production was detected in the anoxic biotic slurries with a net methylation yield of 0.3% after 24 h. CCA based on T-RFLP profiles revealed the impact of mercury addition on the bacterial communities structure. In addition, 17 bacterial strains, mainly sulphate-reducing bacteria involved in mercury methylation, were isolated and identified.
Institut Pluridisciplinaire de Recherche sur l'Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR CNRS 5254, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, Avenue de l'Universite, IBEAS BP1155, 64013 Pau Cedex, France. robert.duran@univ-pau.fr
R
R
Duran
M
M
Ranchou-Peyruse
V
V
Menuet
M
M
Monperrus
G
G
Bareille
M S
MS
Goñi
J C
JC
Salvado
D
D
Amouroux
R
R
Guyoneaud
O F X
OF
Donard
P
P
Caumette
D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004463:Ecology / Q000379:methods; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005602:France; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology*; D008628:Mercury / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008745:Methylation; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D009947:Organotin Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D012623:Seawater; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D016999:Sulfur-Reducing Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism; D053833:Wetlands
D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D009947:Organotin Compounds; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds; D014873:Water Pollutants; D008628:Mercury