Abstract
Biomagnification of trace elements is increasingly evident in aquatic ecosystems. In this review we investigate the drivers of biomagnification of mercury (Hg), arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) in aquatic food webs. Despite Hg, As and Se biomagnify in food webs, the biomagnification potential of Hg is much higher than that of As and Se. The slope of trophic increase of Hg is consistent between temperate (0.20), tropical (0.22) and Arctic (0.22) ecosystems. Se exerts a mitigating role against Hg toxicity but desired maximum and minimum concentrations are unknown. Environmental (e.g. latitude, temperature and physicochemical characteristics) and ecological factors (e.g. trophic structure composition and food zone) can substantially influence the biomagnification process these metal (oids). Besides the level of bioaccumulated concentration, biomagnification depends on the biology, ecology and physiology of the organisms that play a key role in this process. However, it may be necessary to determine strictly biological, physiological and environmental factors that could modulate the concentrations of As and Se in particular. The information presented here should provide clues for research that include under-researched variables. Finally, we suggest that biomagnification be incorporated into environmental management policies, mainly in risk assessment, monitoring and environmental protection methods.
Highlights
Journal Pre-proof increased from 27 to 92 billion tons due to the consumption and demand of the world population, being one of the main causes of 90% of the loss of biodiversity and global environmental pollution (IRP, 2019). Added to this is the lack of commitment of many countries to strengthen policies for the conservation of aquatic ecosystems, which makes this an extremely complex problem (Bland et al, 2019; Reid et al, 2020)
It is well known that anthropogenic activities alter the natural dynamics of metals increasing their availability in aquatic systems in particular (Crespo-Lopez et al, 2021; Vareda et al, 2019)
Agriculture, forestry, and deforestation are among those activities that favor increased concentrations of metals such as Hg and metalloids such as As and Se. Both Hg, As and Se are contributed to the environment naturally, their increase in the environment has resulted from the alteration of its cycle as a consequence of intensive anthropogenic activities (Johnson et al, 2020; Kato et al, 2020; Kozak et al, 2021; Ziyaadini et al, 2017)
Summary
In the last 50 years the extraction of resources (minerals, fossil fuels, biomass, soil, wood and water) has Journal Pre-proof increased from 27 to 92 billion tons due to the consumption and demand of the world population, being one of the main causes of 90% of the loss of biodiversity and global environmental pollution (IRP, 2019). Added to this is the lack of commitment of many countries to strengthen policies for the conservation of aquatic ecosystems, which makes this an extremely complex problem (Bland et al, 2019; Reid et al, 2020). Total global Hg emissions to the atmosphere range from 6500 to 8200 Mg yr−1, of which approximately 35% are from direct anthropic sources (Driscoll et al, 2007; Mason and Sheu, 2002)
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