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Updated: May 30, 2026

The Benthic Exchange of O2, N2 and Dissolved Nutrients Using Small Core Incubations
Published on: August 3, 2016
Mercury and nitrogen isotope in a marine species from a tropical coastal food web
Ana Paula Madeira Di Beneditto1, Vanessa Trindade Bittar, Plínio Barbosa Camargo
1Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, CBB, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ 28013-620, Brazil. anapaula@uenf.br
Abstract:
The present study raised the hypothesis that the trophic status in a tropical coastal food web from southeastern Brazil can be measured by the relation between total mercury (THg) and nitrogen isotope (δ(15)N) in their components. The analysed species were grouped into six trophic positions: primary producer (phytoplankton), primary consumer (zooplankton), consumer 1 (omnivore shrimp), consumer 2 (pelagic carnivores represented by squid and fish species), consumer 3 (demersal carnivores represented by fish species) and consumer 4 (pelagic-demersal top carnivore represented by the fish Trichiurus lepturus). The values of THg, δ(15)N, and trophic level (TLv) increased significantly from primary producer toward top carnivore. Our data regarding trophic magnification (6.84) and biomagnification powers (0.25 for δ(15)N and 0.83 for TLv) indicated that Hg biomagnification throughout trophic positions is high in this tropical food web, which could be primarily related to the quality of the local water.
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