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Interaction between Aquatic Plants and Bed Sediments in Mercury Uptake from Flowing Water¹

ABSTRACT

Bed sediment from a known zone in the Ottawa River study area and cuttings of Elodea densa were set out in aquaria in a 24-day controlled, flowing water experiment. Elodea was planted in sediment and in glass beads, and sediment was exposed with and without plants, all in the same aquaria for 7 days before the addition of mercury with ²⁰³Hg. Three concentrations each of mercuric chloride and methyl mercuric chloride were continuously metered into the input water to yield aquarium levels of 0.2, 2, and 10 µg/liter.

There was no significant difference in the uptake rate between the two forms of mercury. Uptake was proportional to water concentration over the entire 17-day exposure period in both plants and sediment. Methyl mercury was more toxic to plant growth in this time interval than inorganic mercury. Elodea growing in sediment absorbed significantly less mercury than Elodea growing in glass beads. Sediment from which the plants had been removed contained about twice as much mercury as plant-free sediment. The aquarium walls were the largest absorbing compartment in the system and methyl mercury was absorbed more strongly than inorganic mercury. The total recovery of input mercury over the 17 days averaged 91%.

Key Words: uptake coefficient • concentration factor • toxicity • fresh water

¹ This investigation is a part of the Ottawa River Project, a joint study by National Research Council of Canada Laboratories and the University of Ottawa. NRCC Publication No. 14860. Part of this paper was presented at the International Conference on Persistent Chemicals in Aquatic Ecosystems, Ottawa, May 1974.

² Research Officers, Division of Biological Sciences, National Research Council of Canada Laboratories, Ottawa, Canada K1A 0R6.

Received for publication September 17, 1974.