新的研究顯示,，被污染河流中的汞并不僅僅影響水中的生物，它已經(jīng)通過蜘蛛和其它昆蟲進(jìn)入到了Shenandoah River附近的陸地上的食物鏈中,。相關(guān)論文發(fā)表在4月18日的《科學(xué)》雜志上,。
Daniel Cristol及其同僚報(bào)道說，有12種捕食陸地上昆蟲的鳥的血液和羽毛中的汞濃度可能已經(jīng)達(dá)到了有害的水平,。它們體內(nèi)的汞的水平與那些捕食水生昆蟲的鳥類體內(nèi)汞的水平相仿,。當(dāng)文章的作者對(duì)陸地鳥類的食物進(jìn)行分析后發(fā)現(xiàn)，這些昆蟲中蜘蛛是主要傳遞大量汞的元兇,。文章的作者說,，汞對(duì)河流的污染可能對(duì)捕食水濱附近的掠食性無脊椎動(dòng)物的數(shù)百萬禽鳥造成威脅。（來源：Eurekalert,！中文版）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
（Science）,，Vol. 320. no. 5874, p. 335，Daniel A. Cristol, Ariel E. White
The Movement of Aquatic Mercury Through Terrestrial Food Webs
Daniel A. Cristol,* Rebecka L. Brasso, Anne M. Condon, Rachel E. Fovargue, Scott L. Friedman, Kelly K. Hallinger, Adrian P. Monroe, Ariel E. White
Mercury has contaminated rivers worldwide, with health consequences for aquatic organisms and humans who consume them. Researchers have focused on aquatic birds as sentinels for mercury. However, trophic transfer between adjacent ecosystems could lead to the export of aquatic mercury to terrestrial habitats. Along a mercury-contaminated river in Virginia, United States, terrestrial birds had significantly elevated levels of mercury in their blood, similar to their aquatic-feeding counterparts. Diet analysis revealed that spiders delivered much of the dietary mercury. We conclude that aquatic mercury pollution can move into terrestrial habitats, where it biomagnifies to levels in songbirds that may cause adverse effects. Rivers contaminated with mercury may pose a threat to the many bird species that feed on predatory invertebrates in adjacent riparian habitats.
