title: Mercury concentrations in dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus in littoral and neritic habitats along the Southern Brazilian coast.
abstract: Our study incorporated a comprehensive suite of parameters (i.e., body size, age, diet and trophic position) to investigate mercury concentration in dusky groupers Epinephelus marginatus. This study was carried out in rocky bottoms in littoral and neritic habitats along the Southern Brazilian coast. We also determined spatial variation in mercury concentrations in individuals inhabiting both zones, which may provide insights into how dietary differences or potential pollution sources affect bioaccumulation. A total of 244 dusky groupers was analyzed to determine total mercury concentrations. Our study revealed that when considering similar body sizes, individuals inhabiting littoral rocky habitats had higher concentrations of mercury probably due to proximity to pollution sources associated with human activities in the estuary and its drainage basin. Furthermore, large individuals (>650mm and >8years old) showed mercury contamination levels that are potentially harmful for this endangered fish species and above the acceptable limits for human consumption.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ichthyology, Institute of Oceanography, Federal University of Rio Grande, Av. Itália Km 8, Carreiros, 96, 201-900, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: mvcondini@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mario V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Condini
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences and the Advanced Environmental Research Institute, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #310559, Denton, TX 76203-5017, USA.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hoeinghaus
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences and the Advanced Environmental Research Institute, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #310559, Denton, TX 76203-5017, USA.
authors.forename: Aaron P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences and the Advanced Environmental Research Institute, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #310559, Denton, TX 76203-5017, USA.
authors.forename: Brianne K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Soulen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ichthyology, Institute of Oceanography, Federal University of Rio Grande, Av. Itália Km 8, Carreiros, 96, 201-900, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexandre M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Garcia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001492:Bass; D049628:Body Size; D017753:Ecosystem; D056727:Endangered Species; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Epinephelidae; Human health risk; Total mercury; Trophic position