title: Trophic transfer efficiency of mercury to lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis from its prey.
abstract: In the laboratory, net trophic transfer efficiency of mercury to lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis from its prey was estimated to be 63.5%. Assuming that gross trophic transfer efficiency of mercury to lake whitefish from its prey was equal to 80%, we estimated that the rate at which lake whitefish eliminated mercury was 0.000730 day(-1). Our laboratory estimate of mercury elimination rate was 2.4 times lower than the value predicted by a published regression equation developed from previous studies on mercury elimination rates for fish. Thus, our results suggested that mercury elimination rates for fish have been overestimated in previous studies.
authors.affiliation: US Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA. cmadenjian@usgs.gov
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Madenjian
authors.forename: D V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: O'Connor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020387:Food Chain; D008628:Mercury / Q000378:metabolism*; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D012487:Salmonidae / Q000378:metabolism*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury