RESUMEN
Monomethylmercury (MMHg) concentrations in aquatic biota from Lake Titicaca are elevated although the mercury (Hg) contamination level of the lake is low. The contribution of sediments to the lake MMHg pool remained however unclear. In this work, seven cores representative of the contrasted sediments and aquatic ecotopes of Lake Titicaca were sliced and analyzed for Hg and redox-sensitive elements (Mn, Fe, N and S) speciation in pore-water (PW) and sediment to document early diagenetic processes responsible for MMHg production and accumulation in PW during organic matter (OM) oxidation. The highest MMHg concentrations (up to 12.2â¯ngâ¯L-1 and 90% of THg) were found in subsurface PWs of the carbonate-rich sediments which cover 75% of the small basin and 20% of the large one. In other sediment facies, the larger content of OM restricted MMHg production and accumulation in PW by sequestering Hg in the solid phase and potentially also by decreasing its bioavailability in the PW. Diagenetically reduced S and Fe played a dual role either favoring or restricting the availability of Hg for biomethylation. The calculation of theoretical diffusive fluxes suggests that Lake Titicaca bottom sediments are a net source of MMHg, accounting for more than one third of the daily MMHg accumulated in the water column of the Lago Menor. We suggest that in the context of rising anthropogenic pressure, the enhancement of eutrophication in high altitude Altiplano lakes may increase these MMHg effluxes into the water column and favor its accumulation in water and biota.
RESUMEN
Large rivers are important components of the global C cycle. While they are facing an overall degradation of their water quality, little remains known about the dynamics of their metabolism. In the present study, we used continuous multi-sensors measurements to assess the temporal variability of gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) rates of the anthropized Seine River over an annual cycle. Downstream from the Paris urban area, the Seine River is net heterotrophic at the annual scale (-226 gO2 m-2 year-1 or -264 gC m-2 year-1). Yet, it displays a net autotrophy at the daily and seasonal scales during phytoplankton blooms occurring from late winter to early summer. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify the drivers of river metabolism. Daily GPP is best predicted by chlorophyll a (Chla), water temperature (T), light, and rainfalls, and the coupling of daily GPP and Chla allows for the estimation of the productivity rates of the different phytoplankton communities. ER rates are mainly controlled by T and, to a lesser extent, by Chla. The increase of combined sewer overflows related to storm events during the second half of the year stimulates ER and the net heterotrophy of the river. River metabolism is, thus, controlled at different timescales by factors that are affected by human pressures. Continuous monitoring of river metabolism must, therefore, be pursued to deepen our understanding about the responses of ecosystem processes to changing human pressures and climate.
Asunto(s)
Ecosistema , Monitoreo del Ambiente/métodos , Fitoplancton/metabolismo , Clorofila A/análisis , Clorofila A/metabolismo , Ciudades , Francia , Procesos Heterotróficos , Análisis Multivariante , Paris , Lluvia , Ríos , Estaciones del Año , TemperaturaRESUMEN
Aquatic ecosystems of the Bolivian Altiplano (â¼3800 m a.s.l.) are characterized by extreme hydro-climatic constrains (e.g., high UV-radiations and low oxygen) and are under the pressure of increasing anthropogenic activities, unregulated mining, agricultural and urban development. We report here a complete inventory of mercury (Hg) levels and speciation in the water column, atmosphere, sediment and key sentinel organisms (i.e., plankton, fish and birds) of two endorheic Lakes of the same watershed differing with respect to their size, eutrophication and contamination levels. Total Hg (THg) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) concentrations in filtered water and sediment of Lake Titicaca are in the lowest range of reported levels in other large lakes worldwide. Downstream, Hg levels are 3-10 times higher in the shallow eutrophic Lake Uru-Uru than in Lake Titicaca due to high Hg inputs from the surrounding mining region. High percentages of MMHg were found in the filtered and unfiltered water rising up from <1 to â¼50% THg from the oligo/hetero-trophic Lake Titicaca to the eutrophic Lake Uru-Uru. Such high %MMHg is explained by a high in situ MMHg production in relation to the sulfate rich substrate, the low oxygen levels of the water column, and the stabilization of MMHg due to abundant ligands present in these alkaline waters. Differences in MMHg concentrations in water and sediments compartments between Lake Titicaca and Uru-Uru were found to mirror the offset in MMHg levels that also exist in their respective food webs. This suggests that in situ MMHg baseline production is likely the main factor controlling MMHg levels in fish species consumed by the local population. Finally, the increase of anthropogenic pressure in Lake Titicaca may probably enhance eutrophication processes which favor MMHg production and thus accumulation in water and biota.