Journal
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Volume 381, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.120962
Keywords
Flooding-tolerant plant; Water-level-fluctuating zone; Three Gorges Reservoir; Methylmercury
Categories
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [41877384, 41671469, 41603103]
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [XDJK2017B035]
- Provincial Program on Platform and Talent Development of the Science and Technology Department of Guizhou Province, China [[2019]5618]
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Water-level-fluctuating zone (WLFZ) is a prevalent water-land ecotone favorable for mercury (Hg) methylation. The succession of flooding tolerance plants in WLFZ gradually changes the landscape, and also brings a new question worth understanding whether these plants would enhance methylmercury (MeHg) production in WLFZ and increase risks to the aquatic environment. Given bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L). Pers) as the dominant perennial herb with high flooding-tolerance in WLFZ of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), we conducted a comprehensive study to investigate its roles in the production and migration of MeHg in WLFZ by field observations and stable isotope tracer experiments. Results showed that both elevated MeHg levels and Hg methylation rates appeared in soil/sediment in bermudagrass growing area, implying that the growth of bermudagrass could significantly enhance MeHg production. However, MeHg migration from sediment to water was restricted during the flooding period of the TGR, as obviously higher partitioning coefficients of MeHg between the sediment and porewater (p < 0.05) and lower MeHg release fluxes were observed in vegetated area, indicating that the presence of bermudagrass instead probably decreased the water MeHg level. Whereas, it is noteworthy that elevated MeHg in soil/sediment induced by the bermudagrass could pose potential risks to the benthos and further to the TGR food chain.
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