title: Mercury in the food chain of the Lagoon of Venice, Italy.
abstract: Sediments and biota samples were collected in a restricted area of the Lagoon of Venice and analysed for total mercury, monomethyl mercury (MMHg), and nitrogen and carbon isotopes. Results were used to examine mercury biomagnification in a complex food chain. Sedimentary organic matter (SOM) proved to be a major source of nutrients and mercury to primary consumers. Contrary to inorganic mercury, MMHg was strongly biomagnified along the food chain, although the lognormal relationship between MMHg and δ(15)N was less constrained than generally reported from lakes or coastal marine ecosystems. The relationship improved when logMMHg concentrations were plotted against trophic positions derived from baseline δ(15)N estimate for primary consumers. From the regression slope a mean MMHg trophic magnification factor of 10 was obtained. Filter-feeding benthic bivalves accumulated more MMHg than other primary consumers and were probably important in MMHg transfer from sediments to higher levels of the food chain.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze Marine - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Arsenale - Tesa 104, Castello 2737/F 30122 Venezia, Italy; Institute F.-A. Forel, Université de Genève, CP 416, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland. Electronic address: janusz.dominik@ve.ismar.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dominik
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze Marine - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Arsenale - Tesa 104, Castello 2737/F 30122 Venezia, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tagliapietra
authors.affiliation: Institute F.-A. Forel, Université de Genève, CP 416, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Andrea G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Bravo
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze Marine - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Arsenale - Tesa 104, Castello 2737/F 30122 Venezia, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sigovini
authors.affiliation: Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, CH 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jorge E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Spangenberg
authors.affiliation: IPREM-LCABIE, UMR 5254 CNRS - Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, Hélioparc, 2 av P. Angot, 64053 Pau, France.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Amouroux
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze Marine - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Arsenale - Tesa 104, Castello 2737/F 30122 Venezia, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zonta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms; D058448:Biota; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D017753:Ecosystem; D020387:Food Chain; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D007558:Italy; D060106:Lakes; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000032:analysis; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Biomagnification; Bivalve; Food web; Methylmercury; Nitrogen isotope; Sediment