Methylmercury Concentrations More Strongly Associated With Trait Variation Than Food Web Position in Plethodontid Salamanders

Abstract

AbstractSalamanders serve as bioindicators of mercury (Hg) in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats and are an important link in the food web between low‐trophic prey and higher‐trophic predators. We investigated the drivers of methylmercury (MeHg) exposure in three common plethodontid salamander species in New York State, USA, including comparisons among regions, habitat types (terrestrial and semiaquatic), and color morphs of Plethodon cinereus (striped and unstriped). Nonlethal tail samples were collected from one terrestrial species (P. cinereus) and two semiaquatic species (Eurycea bislineata and Desmognathus spp.) in the Adirondack Mountains (ADK) and the Finger Lakes National Forest (FLNF) regions. Samples were analyzed for MeHg and stable isotopes, including δ15N and δ13C which are proxies of trophic position and diet, respectively. Despite elevated biota Hg concentrations typically found in the ADK, salamander MeHg concentrations did not differ by region in the terrestrial species and one of the semiaquatic species. In addition, diet and trophic level did not explain MeHg exposure in salamanders. Semiaquatic salamanders exhibited higher MeHg concentrations than terrestrial salamanders in the FLNF only. Within species, only snout–vent length predicted MeHg concentrations in E. bislineata with few other variables significant as predictors of MeHg concentrations in path models. Among P. cinereus individuals in the FLNF, the striped morph had greater MeHg concentrations than the unstriped morph, and food web tracers were not different between morphs. Overall, New York State salamander Hg concentrations were elevated compared to other locations where these species are present. The present study establishes baseline Hg data in salamanders for future assessments of changes in Hg bioavailability to forests of New York State. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:2045–2057. © 2024 SETAC