title: Methylmercury in marine ecosystems: spatial patterns and processes of production, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification.
abstract: The spatial variation of MeHg production, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification in marine food webs is poorly characterized but critical to understanding the links between sources and higher trophic levels, such as fish that are ultimately vectors of human and wildlife exposure. This article discusses both large and local scale processes controlling Hg supply, methylation, bioaccumulation, and transfer in marine ecosystems. While global estimates of Hg supply suggest important open ocean reservoirs of MeHg, only coastal processes and food webs are known sources of MeHg production, bioaccumulation, and bioadvection. The patterns observed to date suggest that not all sources and biotic receptors are spatially linked, and that physical and ecological processes are important in transferring MeHg from source regions to bioaccumulation in marine food webs and from lower to higher trophic levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, HB 6044, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. celia.chen@dartmouth.edu
authors.forename: Celia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Aria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amirbahman
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: Gareth
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Harding
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lamborg
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nacci
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D005399:Fishes; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D008767:Methylmercury Compounds