Taylor
David
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Methylmercury in marine ecosystems : spatial patterns and processes of production, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification
Taylor
David
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Preprint
The spatial variation of MeHg production, bioaccumulation and biomagnification in marine food
webs is poorly characterized but critical to understanding the links between sources and higher
trophic levels such as fish that are ultimately vectors of human and wildlife exposure. This paper
discusses both large and local scale processes controlling Hg supply, methylation,
bioaccumulation and transfer in marine ecosystems. While global estimates of Hg supply suggest
important open ocean reservoirs of MeHg, only coastal processes and food webs are known
sources of MeHg production, bioaccumulation, and bioadvection. The patterns observed to date
suggest that not all sources and biotic receptors are spatially linked and that physical and
ecological processes are important in transferring MeHg from source regions to bioaccumulation
in marine food webs and from lower to higher trophic levels.