Methyl mercury concentrations in macroinvertebrates and fish from burned and undisturbed lakes on the Boreal Plain

Abstract

Methyl mercury (MeHg) concentrations in macroinvertebrates and fish were compared among five lakes in burned catchments and five reference lakes on the western Canadian Boreal Plain to determine the influence of forest fire on MeHg bioaccumulation. Two years after fire, MeHg concentrations in five of six aquatic taxa were similar in burned and reference lakes. Among a larger set of 12 lakes, MeHg concentrations in biota were negatively correlated with lake water pH, trophic status, and hardness, reflecting a pre-existing gradient in water chemistry. Biomagnification of MeHg (as determined by regression of MeHg concentration on baseline-adjusted δ15N) was negatively correlated with lake water chlorophyll a concentration. A subsequent logging experiment interrupted by fire provided an opportunity to compare pre- and post-fire MeHg concentrations in aquatic biota. Three months after fire, biota MeHg concentrations had decreased by 32%–50%, and lake water ammonium concentrations had increased 11-fold relative to the previous year. In this nutrient-rich setting, fire may lower MeHg concentrations in aquatic biota over the short-term by inducing an increase in lake productivity that dilutes MeHg at the base of the food web.