Mercury levels in Southern Ocean squid : variability over the last decade

• Published in: Chemosphere
• Main Authors: Seco, José, Xavier, José C., Brierley, Andrew S., Bustamante, Paco, Coelho, João P., Gregory, Susan, Fielding, Sophie, Pardal, Miguel A., Pereira, Bárbara, Stowasser, Gabriele, Tarling, Geraint A., Pereira, Eduarda
• Other Authors: University of St Andrews. School of Biology, University of St Andrews. Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews. Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews. Pelagic Ecology Research Group, University of St Andrews. Marine Alliance for Science & Technology Scotland
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Organic mercury; Antarctic; Gills; Digestive gland; Tissue allocation; Temporal trends; QH301 Biology; NDAS; QH301; Austral; Scotia Sea; Southern Ocean; Antarc*; antarcticus; British Antarctic Survey
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/20599; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.124785

Authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for the Science and Technology (FCT) through a PhD grant to José Seco (SRFH/PD/BD/113487). Acknowledgments are due also to the Integrated Program of SR&TD ‘Smart Valorization of Endogenous Marine Biological Resources Under a Changing Climate’ (reference Centro-01-0145-FEDER-000018), co-funded by Centro (2020) program, Portugal 2020, European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund, for personal funding to J.P.Coelho. The IUF (Institut Universitaire de France) is acknowledged for its support to P. Bustamante as a Senior Member. This research was also within José Xavier strategic program of MARE (MARE - UID/MAR/04292/2013). GAT, GS and SF were supported by the Ecosystems programme at the British Antarctic Survey. The concentrations of total and proportions of organic mercury were measured in tissues of 355 individuals of 8 species of Southern Ocean squid (Alluroteuthis antarcticus, Bathyteuthis abyssicola, Filippovia knipovitchi, Galiteuthis glacialis, Gonatus antarcticus, Kondakovia longimana, Psychroteuthis glacialis and Slosarczykovia circumantarctica). Squid were caught around South Georgia (Scotia Sea) during 5 cruises, between the austral summers of 2006/07 to 2016/17 to evaluate temporal changes in bioaccumulation and tissue partitioning. Total mercury concentrations varied between 4 ng g−1 and 804 ng g−1 among all tissues. Net accumulation of mercury in muscle with size was observed in A. antarcticus, B. abyssicola and P. glacialis, but no relationship was found for S. circumantarctica and lower concentrations were observed in larger individuals of G. glacialis. Muscle tissues had the highest mercury concentrations in the majority of species, except for F. knipovitchi for which the digestive gland contained highest concentrations. In terms of the percentage of organic mercury in the tissues, muscle always contained the highest values (67%–97%), followed by the digestive gland (22%–38%). Lowest organic mercury percentages were found ...