title: Volcanic mercury in Pinus canariensis.
abstract: Mercury (Hg) is a toxic element that is emitted to the atmosphere by both human activities and natural processes. Volcanic emissions are considered a natural source of mercury in the environment. In some cases, tree ring records taken close to volcanoes and their relation to volcanic activity over time are contradictory. In 1949, the Hoyo Negro volcano (La Palma-Canary Islands) produced significant pyroclastic flows that damaged the nearby stand of Pinus canariensis. Recently, 60 years after the eruption, we assessed mercury concentrations in the stem of a pine which survived volcano formation, located at a distance of 50 m from the crater. We show that Hg content in a wound caused by pyroclastic impacts (22.3 μg kg(-1)) is an order of magnitude higher than the Hg concentrations measured in the xylem before and after the eruption (2.3 μg kg(-1)). Thus, mercury emissions originating from the eruption remained only as a mark-in pyroclastic wounds-and can be considered a sporadic and very high mercury input that did not affect the overall Hg input in the xylem. In addition, mercury contents recorded in the phloem (9.5 μg kg(-1)) and bark (6.0 μg kg(-1)) suggest that mercury shifts towards non-living tissues of the pine, an aspect that can be related to detoxification in volcanism-adapted species.
authors.affiliation: Department of the Environment, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (I.N.I.A), Carretera de A Coruña 7.5 km, 28040 Madrid, Spain. rmartin@inia.es
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rodríguez Martín
authors.forename: Nikos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nanos
authors.forename: José Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: Gregoria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carbonell
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gil
mesh_terms: D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D052585:Phloem / Q000737:chemistry; D028223:Pinus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D024301:Plant Bark / Q000737:chemistry; D013030:Spain; D018707:Volcanic Eruptions; D052584:Xylem / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008628:Mercury