1. Effects of macrophytes on the fate of mercury in aquatic systems
- Author
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Rebecca Flück, Vera I. Slaveykova, Claudia Cosio, and Nicole Regier
- Subjects
geography ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Primary producers ,Ecology ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Aquatic ecosystem ,Wetland ,010501 environmental sciences ,15. Life on land ,01 natural sciences ,6. Clean water ,Macrophyte ,Food chain ,Water column ,13. Climate action ,Salt marsh ,Environmental chemistry ,Environmental Chemistry ,Environmental science ,14. Life underwater ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Trophic level - Abstract
Vegetated and shallow areas such as wetlands and salt marshes, as well as freshwater lakes and rivers, have been identified as hotspots for Hg methylation. The presence of aquatic macrophytes, the predominant primary producers in shallow waters, plays an important but still poorly understood role in the fate of Hg in these environments. The present review focuses on the influences of macrophytes on Hg speciation and distribution in sediments, the rhizosphere, and the water column; on Hg transformation; and on Hg release to the environment, including transfer to the trophic web. Future research will require an improved understanding of the mechanisms and the factors controlling these aspects as well as a broader general view. Thus, the main gaps in knowledge are also discussed.
- Published
- 2014
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