Antarctic octopod beaks as proxy for mercury concentrations in soft tissues

• Published in: Marine Pollution Bulletin
• Main Authors: Matias, Ricardo, Seco, José, Gregory, Susan, Belchier, Mark, Pereira, Maria, Bustamante, Paco, Xavier, José
• Other Authors: Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE UC), Universidade de Coimbra Coimbra, School of Biology University of St Andrews, University of St Andrews Scotland, Centro de Estudos do Ambiante e do Mar (CESAM), Universidade de Aveiro, British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés - UMRi 7266 (LIENSs), Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Ministère de l'Education nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (M.E.N.E.S.R.)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2020
• Subjects: beaks; Mercury; cephalopods; antarctic ocean; [SDV.TOX.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Toxicology/Ecotoxicology; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; [SDV.BA.ZI]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Animal biology/Invertebrate Zoology; Antarctic; Antarctic Ocean; Southern Ocean; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02904180; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02904180/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02904180/file/Matias%20et%20al%202020%20MPB.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111447

International audience As the role of mercury is poorly known in Southern Ocean biota, the total mercury (T-Hg) concentrations were evaluated in upper/lower beaks, digestive gland, gills and mantle muscle of Adelieledone polymorpha and Pareledone turqueti, two of the most abundant octopod species around South Georgia. Beaks had the lowest T-Hg concentrations (A. polymorpha: [T-Hg]Upper= 27.2±12.9 ng•g-1 and [T-Hg]Lower= 27.5±20.0 ng•g-1 P. turqueti: [T-Hg]Upper= 34.6±13.9 ng•g-1 and [T-Hg]Lower= 56.8±42.0 ng•g-1), followed by gills and muscle. The highest values were recorded in the digestive glands (A. polymorpha: 251.6±69.7 ng•g-1 P. turqueti: 347.0±177.0 ng•g-1). Significant relationships were found between the concentrations of T-Hg in the beaks and muscle of A. polymorpha (T-Hg in muscle is 10 times higher than in beaks). This study shows that beaks can be used as proxy for T-Hg in muscle for some octopod species, and a helpful tool for estimating total Hg body burden from beaks.