Mercury methylation in the epilithon of boreal shield aquatic ecosystems

Methylation rates by periphyton growing on the rocky shore of a remote boreal shield lake were measured over diurnal cycles at temperatures representative of summer and fall conditions. The measurements were carried out in vitro with natural communities grown on artificial Teflon substrates submerged along the lake's shore for 1-2 years. At temperatures above 20 degrees C, epilithon Hg methylation rates were fast and reached a steady state within 12 h upon exposure to 2 ng L-1 of inorganic mercury. A variety of inhibitors were used to identify which microorganisms in the epilithic biofilm are responsible for the methylation. The addition of molybdate, which is believed to suppress the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria, decreased methylmercury production rates by 60% in both light and dark experiments. The prokaryote inhibitor chloramphenicol reduced the methylation rate by 40% only during dark periods whereas an algal inhibitor (DCMU), which suppresses photosynthesis, decreased the methylation rate by 60% during light periods. Results of this study reveal that epilithon communities may be a significant source of MeHg to higher aquatic organisms in lakes and that the integrity of the epilithic biofilm is important for its ability to methylate Hg.