Mercury dynamics in surface-active soil invertebrates from an ecological reserve in the Brazilian savanna.
7 affiliations
- 1Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences, Faculty UnB Planaltina, University of Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, 73345-010, Brazil. [email protected].
- 2Graduate Program in Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, 70910-900, Brazil.
- 3Graduate Program in Zoology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, 70910-900, Brazil.
- 4Graduate Program in Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry University of Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, 70910-900, Brazil.
- 5Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences, Faculty UnB Planaltina, University of Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, 73345-010, Brazil.
- 6Graduate Program in Soils and Plant Nutrition, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, 36570-900, Brazil.
- 7Behavioral Ecology Laboratory (LABECO), Natural Resources Study Center (CERNA), Mato Grosso Do Sul State University, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, 79804-970, Brazil.
Abstract
This study evaluated total mercury (THg) distribution and accumulation in soil, litter, and surface-active soil invertebrates at the Águas Emendadas Ecological Station (ESECAE), a savanna reserve in central Brazil. We assessed whether THg differed between soil and litter; whether soil pH and organic matter influenced soil THg, the degree of THg accumulation in invertebrates relative to soil and litter; whether feeding habits structured epigeic soil fauna according to THg concentrations; and whether biomagnification could be inferred within the local trophic network. THg concentrations were significantly higher in litter (51.7 ± 5.6 ng g⁻¹) than in soil (34.9 ± 13.5 ng g⁻¹; t = 4.402, df = 7, p = 0.0032). Soil organic matter was positively associated with soil THg (R² = 0.455, p = 0.039), whereas pH showed no significant relationship. Invertebrate THg concentrations ranged from 0.095 to 970.70 ng g⁻¹, reaching values approximately 15 times higher than those in soil or litter. Overall, 83.75% of samples showed bioaccumulation potential, and macroaccumulation predominated relative to both soil (80.38%) and litter (68.53%). Grouping by feeding habits revealed consistent accumulation patterns, indicating trophic-level biomagnification. Predator frequency increased from 9.1% in the lowest THg group to 45.5% in the highest, while phytophagous organisms decreased from 26.1% to 2.3%. Our results underscore the complexity of mercury cycling in terrestrial food webs and highlight the role of ecological traits and environmental parameters in modulating mercury bioavailability and transfer.
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BibTeX
@article{fernandes2026mercury,
title = {{Mercury dynamics in surface-active soil invertebrates from an ecological reserve in the Brazilian savanna.}},
author = {Iara Oliveira Fernandes and Lucas Cabrera Monteiro and Vinícius Lima de Miranda and João Pedro Rudrigues de Souza and Ygor Oliveira Sarmento Rodrigues and Ésio de Castro Paes and William Fernando Antonialli Júnior and José Vicente Elias Bernardi},
journal = {Environmental monitoring and assessment},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s10661-026-16051-0},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42900274},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mercury dynamics in surface-active soil invertebrates from an ecological reserve in the Brazilian savanna.
AU - Iara Oliveira Fernandes
AU - Lucas Cabrera Monteiro
AU - Vinícius Lima de Miranda
AU - João Pedro Rudrigues de Souza
AU - Ygor Oliveira Sarmento Rodrigues
AU - Ésio de Castro Paes
AU - William Fernando Antonialli Júnior
AU - José Vicente Elias Bernardi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Environmental monitoring and assessment
DO - 10.1007/s10661-026-16051-0
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42900274
AB - This study evaluated total mercury (THg) distribution and accumulation in soil, litter, and surface-active soil invertebrates at the Águas Emendadas Ecological Station (ESECAE), a savanna reserve in central Brazil. We assessed whether THg differed between soil and litter; whether soil pH and organic matter influenced soil THg, the degree of THg accumulation in invertebrates relative to soil and litter; whether feeding habits structured epigeic soil fauna according to THg concentrations; and whether biomagnification could be inferred within the local trophic network. THg concentrations were significantly higher in litter (51.7 ± 5.6 ng g⁻¹) than in soil (34.9 ± 13.5 ng g⁻¹; t = 4.402, df = 7, p = 0.0032). Soil organic matter was positively associated with soil THg (R² = 0.455, p = 0.039), whereas pH showed no significant relationship. Invertebrate THg concentrations ranged from 0.095 to 970.70 ng g⁻¹, reaching values approximately 15 times higher than those in soil or litter. Overall, 83.75% of samples showed bioaccumulation potential, and macroaccumulation predominated relative to both soil (80.38%) and litter (68.53%). Grouping by feeding habits revealed consistent accumulation patterns, indicating trophic-level biomagnification. Predator frequency increased from 9.1% in the lowest THg group to 45.5% in the highest, while phytophagous organisms decreased from 26.1% to 2.3%. Our results underscore the complexity of mercury cycling in terrestrial food webs and highlight the role of ecological traits and environmental parameters in modulating mercury bioavailability and transfer.
SN - 0167-6369
SN - 1573-2959
ER -