TY - JOUR TI - Stable isotope analyses revealed the influence of foraging habitat on mercury accumulation in tropical coastal marine fish AU - Le Croizier, Gael AU - Schaal, Gauthier AU - Point, David AU - Le Loc'h, Francois AU - Machu, Eric AU - Fall, Massal AU - Munaron, Jean-Marie AU - Boye, Aurelien AU - Walter, Pierre AU - Lae, Raymond AU - Tito-de-Morais, Luis T2 - Science of the Total Environment AB - Bioaccumulation of toxic metal elements including mercury (Hg) can be highly variable in marine fish species. Metal concentration is influenced by various species-specific physiological and ecological traits, including individual diet composition and foraging habitat. The impact of trophic ecology and habitat preference on Hg accumulation was analyzed through total Hg concentration and stable isotope ratios of carbon (delta C-13) and nitrogen (delta N-15) in the muscle of 132 fish belonging to 23 different species from the Senegalese coast (West Africa), where the marine ecosystem is submitted to nutrient inputs from various sources such as upwelling or rivers. Species-specific ecological traits were first investigated and results showed that vertical (i.e. water column distribution) and horizontal habitat (i.e. distance from the coast) led to differential Hg accumulation among species. Coastal and demersal fish were more contaminated than offshore and pelagic species. Individual characteristics therefore revealed an increase of Hg concentration in muscle that paralleled trophic level for some locations. Considering all individuals, the main carbon source was significantly correlated with Hg concentration, again revealing a higher accumulation for fish foraging in nearshore and benthic habitats. The large intraspecific variability observed in stable isotope signatures highlights the need to conduct ecotoxicological studies at the individual level to ensure a thorough understanding of mechanisms driving metal accumulation in marine fish. For individuals from a same species and site, Hg variation was mainly explained by fish length, in accordance with the bioaccumulation of Hg over time. Finally, Hg concentrations in fish muscle are discussed regarding their human health impact. No individual exceeded the current maximum acceptable limit for seafood consumption set by both the European Union and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. However, overconsumption of some coastal demersal species analyzed here could be of concern regarding human exposure to mercury. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. DA - 2019/02/10/ PY - 2019 DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.330 DP - Web of Science VL - 650 SP - 2129 EP - 2140 J2 - Sci. Total Environ. LA - English SN - 0048-9697 UR - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718337872 DB - fdi:010074333 ; https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00458/57013/ KW - ACL KW - Chemical tracers KW - DISCOVERY KW - EPURE KW - EPURE_ANR-11-CEPL-0005 KW - Feeding habitat KW - IRD KW - Isotopic niche KW - Metal bioaccumulation KW - Methylmercury sources KW - SUD KW - Trophic ecology KW - UBO KW - diet composition KW - edible fish KW - inorganic mercury KW - northeast atlantic KW - senegalese coast KW - trace-elements KW - trophic transfer ER -