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. 2012 Feb:161:343-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.08.048. Epub 2011 Oct 11.

Spatial and temporal variation in mercury bioaccumulation by zooplankton in Lake Champlain (North America)

Celia Chen  1 , Neil Kamman, Jason Williams, Deenie Bugge, Vivien Taylor, Brian Jackson, Eric Miller
Affiliations

Spatial and temporal variation in mercury bioaccumulation by zooplankton in Lake Champlain (North America)

Celia Chen et al. Environ Pollut. 2012 Feb.

Abstract

Trophic transfer of Hg across lakes within a region has been related to multiple environmental factors, but the nature of these relationships across distinct basins within individual large lakes is unknown. We investigated Hg bioaccumulation in zooplankton in basins of differing trophic status in Lake Champlain (Vermont, USA) to determine the strongest predictors of Hg bioaccumulation. Zooplankton were sampled in Malletts Bay (oligotrophic) and Missisquoi Bay (eutrophic) in 2005-2008. Zooplankton in the eutrophic basin had lower concentrations of total Hg and MeHg than those in the oligotrophic basin in all years but 2007, when no bloom occurred in Missisquoi. In addition, Hg concentrations in seston and small zooplankton, sampled during 2009 at 12 sites spanning the lake, decreased with increasing phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass. Thus, Hg bioaccumulation in zooplankton across basins in Lake Champlain is related to trophic status, as observed previously in multiple lake studies.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Map of Lake Champlain with 12 sampling sites, including Malletts Bay (oligotrophic) and Missisquoi Bay (eutrophic). Site codes are as follows: South Lake A (4), Port Henry (7), Otter Creek (9), Shelburne Bay (16), Main Lake (19), Burlington Bay (21), Malletts Bay (25), Northeast Arm (34), Isle LaMotte off Grand Isle (36), St. Albans Bay (40), Isle LaMotte off Rouses Point (46), Missisquoi Bay (51).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Concentrations of MeHg (ng/g dry weight) in suspended particulate matter and zooplankton across 12 sites sampled in 2009: (a) particulates; (b) 48–202 μm zooplankton; and (c) >202 μm zooplankton.
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