title: Mercury and nitrogen isotope in a marine species from a tropical coastal food web.
abstract: The present study raised the hypothesis that the trophic status in a tropical coastal food web from southeastern Brazil can be measured by the relation between total mercury (THg) and nitrogen isotope (δ(15)N) in their components. The analysed species were grouped into six trophic positions: primary producer (phytoplankton), primary consumer (zooplankton), consumer 1 (omnivore shrimp), consumer 2 (pelagic carnivores represented by squid and fish species), consumer 3 (demersal carnivores represented by fish species) and consumer 4 (pelagic-demersal top carnivore represented by the fish Trichiurus lepturus). The values of THg, δ(15)N, and trophic level (TLv) increased significantly from primary producer toward top carnivore. Our data regarding trophic magnification (6.84) and biomagnification powers (0.25 for δ(15)N and 0.83 for TLv) indicated that Hg biomagnification throughout trophic positions is high in this tropical food web, which could be primarily related to the quality of the local water.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, CBB, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ 28013-620, Brazil. anapaula@uenf.br
authors.forename: Ana Paula Madeira
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Di Beneditto
authors.forename: Vanessa Trindade
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Bittar
authors.forename: Plínio Barbosa
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Camargo
authors.forename: Carlos Eduardo
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Rezende
authors.forename: Helena Amaral
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Kehrig
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005399:Fishes; D020387:Food Chain; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D015048:Zooplankton
chemical_list: D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury; D009584:Nitrogen