@article{fc22edca1d2a44af82604ea1ed96a9ed,
title = "Influence of life history variation and habitat on mercury bioaccumulation in a high-order predatory fish in tropical Australia",
abstract = "Mercury distribution and bioaccumulation in aquatic ecosystems of tropical Australia is poorly characterised. Barramundi (Lates calcarifer), a widespread high-order predator in both fresh and coastal marine waters of the region, fulfils requirements for a bio-indicator of mercury contamination. In a study of the Mary River system of the Northern Territory, total mercury in the muscle tissue of 300 specimens gathered over four years (2013–2017, across both wet and dry seasons) was determined by direct combustion–atomic absorption spectrometry. Source of nutrition and trophic position of barramundi in the food web was also estimated via carbon and nitrogen isotopes (δ13C and δ15N), respectively, in tissue by stable isotope mass spectrometry, and determination of strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) in otoliths by laser ablation–ICPMS differentiated between freshwater and saltwater residence. Results showed that fish moving into freshwater floodplain wetlands concentrated mercury in muscle tissue at approximately twice the level of those that remained in saline habitats. Resolving life histories through otolith analyses demonstrated diversity in mercury bioaccumulation for individual fish of the same migratory contingent on the floodplains. Although trophic level (δ15N), capture location, source of nutrition (δ13C), and age or size partly predicted mercury concentrations in barramundi, our results suggest that individual variability in diets, migration patterns and potentially metabolism are also influential. Using a migratory fish as a bio-indicator, and tracking its life history and use of resources, proved valuable as a tool to discern hot spots in a coastal waterway for a contaminant, such as mercury.",
keywords = "Barramundi, Biomagnification, Catadromy, Isotopes, Otolith, Wetland",
author = "Butler, {Edward C.V.} and Harries, {Simon J.} and McAllister, {Kirsty A.} and Windsor, {Jonathan O.} and Murray Logan and Crook, {David A.} and Roberts, {Brien H.} and Grubert, {Mark A.} and Saunders, {Thor M.}",
note = "Funding Information: Funding: NT Fisheries Division (Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade); Australian Institute of Marine Science; Charles Darwin University; and National Environmental Science Program, Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub. The funding sources themselves played no part in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the paper?except that authors were employees of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, NT Fisheries Division, or Charles Darwin University. All organisations gave approval independently to submit the article for publication.This study was funded primarily and jointly by NT Fisheries Division (Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade) and Australian Institute of Marine Science. Stephen Boyle and Mike Cappo (AIMS, Townsville) provided early guidance. We are grateful for the assistance of Quentin Allsop, Wayne Baldwin, Nathan Crofts, and Kurtly Harvey of NT Fisheries Division in collecting and processing samples. We thank Jon Woodhead and Roland Maas (University of Melbourne) for their assistance with the strontium isotope analyses. Funding support for the strontium isotope analyses was provided by Charles Darwin University and the National Environmental Science Program, Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub. We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Limilngan-Wulna and Larrakia Traditional Owners of the lands and waters on which this research was conducted. Funding Information: No funding source specified grant numbers, because provision was in effect via block grants. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022",
year = "2022",
month = sep,
doi = "10.1016/j.envres.2022.113152",
language = "English",
volume = "212",
pages = "1--12",
journal = "Environmental Research",
issn = "0013-9351",
publisher = "Academic Press Inc.",
}