Effects of Nutrient Loading and Mercury Chemical Speciation on the

Jun 3, 2016 - Net formation of methylmercury (MeHg) in sediments is known to be affected by the availability of inorganic divalent mercury (HgII) and ...
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Effects of nutrient loading and mercury chemical speciation on the formation and degradation of methylmercury in estuarine sediment Van Liem-Nguyen, Sofi Jonsson, Ulf Skyllberg, Mats B. Nilsson, Agneta Andersson, Erik Lundberg, and Erik Björn Environ. Sci. Technol., Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b01567 • Publication Date (Web): 03 Jun 2016 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on June 7, 2016

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Environmental Science & Technology

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Effects of nutrient loading and mercury chemical speciation on the formation and degradation of methylmercury in estuarine sediment

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Van Liem-Nguyen1, Sofi Jonsson1,2,3, Ulf Skyllberg4, Mats B. Nilsson4, Agneta Andersson2,5, Erik Lundberg2, Erik Björn1,*

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Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden Umeå Marine Sciences Centre, Umeå University, SE-910 20 Hörnefors, Sweden 3 current address: Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, 1080 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT06340, USA 4 Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden 5 Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden 2

AUTHOR INFORMATION

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Corresponding author

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*e-mail: [email protected]; phone +46 90 7865189

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ABSTRACT

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Net formation of methylmercury (MeHg) in sediments is known to be affected by the availability of

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inorganic divalent mercury (HgII) and by the activities of HgII methylating and MeHg demethylating

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bacteria. Enhanced autochthonous organic matter deposition to the benthic zone, following

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increased loading of nutrients to the pelagic zone, has been suggested to increase the activity of HgII

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methylating bacteria and thus the rate of net methylation. However, the impact of increased nutrient

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loading on the biogeochemistry of mercury (Hg) is challenging to predict as different geochemical

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pools of Hg may respond differently to enhanced bacterial activities. Here, we investigate the

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combined effects of nutrient (N and P) supply to the pelagic zone and the chemical speciation of HgII

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and of MeHg on MeHg formation and degradation in a brackish sediment-water mesocosm model

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ecosystem. By use of Hg isotope tracers added in situ to the mesocosms or ex situ in incubation

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experiments, we show that the MeHg formation rate increased with nutrient loading only for HgII

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tracers with a high availability for methylation. Tracers with low availability did not respond

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significantly to nutrient loading. Thus, both microbial activity (stimulated indirectly through plankton

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biomass production by nutrient loading) and HgII chemical speciation were found to control the

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MeHg formation rate in marine sediments.

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INTRODUCTION

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Methylmercury (MeHg) is a neurotoxic compound which biomagnifies in aquatic food-webs causing

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adverse effects to wildlife and humans. Formation of MeHg from inorganic, divalent Hg (HgII) is

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mediated by phylogenetically diverse anaerobic microorganisms,1-5 carrying the hgcA and hgcB

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genes.6 Bacteria are also responsible for degradation of MeHg in environmental compartments with

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low sunlight exposure, such as in many sedimentary systems.7 Net formation of MeHg under such

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conditions is driven by multiple factors such as the availability of HgII and MeHg for uptake by

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methylating/demethylating bacteria8-13 and factors in control of the activity of these bacteria.2,14-15

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The current perception is that bacteria methylate HgII to MeHg in their cell, after up-take of aqueous

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forms such as HgII‒sulfide complexes,8 and low molecular mass HgII‒thiol complexes.11-12 The major

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pools of HgII and MeHg in sediments and soils however, are represented by different solid/adsorbed

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HgII and MeHg forms with different solubilities and dissolution/desorption rates. Under equilibrium

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or close to equilibrium conditions the chemical speciation of Hg in solid/adsorbed phases controls

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aqueous concentrations of HgII and MeHg, and will potentially limit their availabilities for bacterial

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uptake.13,16 Indeed, Jonsson et al.16 demonstrated that the MeHg concentration in estuarine

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sediments and biota is controlled by the bioavailability of different geochemical Hg pools, which in

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turn is largely controlled by the solid/adsorbed phase chemical speciation and vertical localization of

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Hg in the sediment.

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The rate of nutrient supply, e.g. via catchment runoff, as well as temperature and light conditions are

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principal factors controlling primary production in aquatic ecosystems and thus the rate of formation

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and deposition rate of autochthonous natural organic matter (NOM) to the sediment. The deposition

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of autochthonous NOM will in turn control the activity of saprotrophic microbial organisms,17-18

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including bacteria with the capability to methylate HgII. Observations made in the field have in

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several studies been interpreted as a direct or indirect link between autochthonous production of

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biomass and MeHg net formation in marine and estuarine ecosystems. Two hypotheses have

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emerged from these studies: 1) The sediment and pore water partitioning coefficient, Kd (L kg-1), for

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HgII (and MeHg) is controlled by, and increases with, the amount of NOM in the sediment.19-22 With

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increased Kd the pore water concentration of HgII decreases and thus the presumed forms available

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for uptake by methylating bacteria also decrease. The chemical speciation of HgII in solid/adsorbed

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phases was however not established in these studies and recent reports have highlighted that the

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type and concentration of dissolved organic matter strongly influences the relationship between

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sediment NOM content and Kd of Hg.22-24 It therefore remains to develop a comprehensive chemical

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speciation model that quantitatively describes the solubility of HgII (and MeHg) under or close to

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equilibrium conditions in marine sediments. 2) The second hypothesis proposes that the activity of

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benthic anaerobic bacteria, including those with the capacity to methylate HgII, is controlled by the

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availability of metabolic electron donors.10,23,25-26 These electron donors are largely constituted by

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short-chain fatty acids originating predominantly from autochthonous NOM deposited to the

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sediment. This hypothesis has been used to explain observed increases in HgII methylation rate or

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MeHg concentration with amount25 or the fraction of autochthonous algal NOM (manifested by a low

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C/N ratio10,26). These two hypotheses are not necessarily alternatives, as both processes may take

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place in parallel, yet different studies have suggested opposing net effects on MeHg formation from

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increases in pelagic biomass production and subsequent organic carbon content or C/N ratio in

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sediments.

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It is a challenge to experimentally investigate the combined effects of nutrient loading and chemical

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speciation of HgII on methylation rates. Mesocosm experiments, in which natural environmental

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conditions can be simulated and factors affecting MeHg formation controlled, have proven powerful

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in addressing these issues. Using mesocosms, Jonsson et al. [Jonsson et al. in prep] demonstrated

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that the net methylation of HgII bonded to thiol groups in NOM, or as metacinnabar (β-HgS), in an

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estuarine sediment was enhanced by 10‒40% in response to a twofold increase in pelagic biomass

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production caused by enhanced nutrient loading. Here, using a similar system, we further investigate

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how rates of methylation and demethylation of different Hg geochemical pools are affected by the

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nutrient loading (N and P) to the pelagic zone. We hypothesized that Hg pools with a low availability

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to methylating bacteria will show less of a response to nutrient loading in comparison to Hg pools

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with a higher availability. Sediment-brackish water mesocosm model ecosystems (n=6, 5 m high,

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0.75 m ⌀ cylinders) were constructed and rates of HgII methylation were compared for two

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principally different types of enriched Hg isotope tracers. One set of tracers were added in situ to the

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mesocoms, either as defined pre-equilibrated solid/adsorbed chemical forms where HgII and MeHg

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was bonded to sulfide and/or thiols, or as dissolved complexes which were equilibrated in the

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mesocoms’ water phase prior to deposition to the sediment. A second set of tracers were added ex

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situ to sediment sampled from the mesocosm sediments as non-equilibrated labile dissolved

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complexes. Nutrients were added to the water column at low to moderate concentrations during

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weeks 1‒2, and at high concentrations during weeks 2‒4 of the experiment to study the short-term

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effects of increased nutrient loading on MeHg formation/degradation for different chemical forms of

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Hg.

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EXPERIMENTAL SECTION

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Sampling of sediment and water. The study site, Öre river estuary (located in the Bothnian Sea at

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the Sweden east coast), has been described in detail in a previous study.16 Intact sediment cores 3

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were manually sampled from the estuary by divers at site 63° 33.905′ N, 19° 50.898′ E, at a water

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depth of 5‒7 m using custom-made sampling devices. The sampling cylinders (~0.2 m × 0.63 m ⌀)

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were made of high density polyethylene (HDPE) with a detachable bottom and lid. The cylinders

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were immersed into undisturbed sediment, and surrounding sediment was cleared to insert the

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bottom plate and lid of the core sampler. The intact sediment cores were stored (in the dark, at 15

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°C) in barrels filled with brackish water to avoid leakage and to avoid direct contact with air for up to

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2 months. The mesocosm cylinders were filled with 2000 L of unfiltered brackish water (salinity of 4

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Practical Salinity Units) 3 days before the start of the experiment. Water was collected using a

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peristaltic pump system with two pipes located 800 m from land and at a water depth of 2 and 8 m (a

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50:50 mixture of water from these two depths were used). To assure that all mesocosms had similar

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distribution of planktonic organisms, water was added to all tanks in parallel.

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Mesocosm system and setup. The experiment was conducted at a mesocosm facility located at the

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Umeå Marine Sciences Center. This facility includes 12 double-mantled HDPE tubes (5 m × 0.75 m ⌀)

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regularly used for studies of the pelagic food web ecology. For this experiment, 6 of the systems

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were utilized. Three of them included collected sediment cores and a 5 m high water column. The

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remaining three were used to study the deposition of organic matter from the pelagic zone, using

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sedimentation traps placed at the bottom of the mesocosm tanks, and included a 5 m water column.

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Temperature of the water column was maintained at 15 oC in the upper 3.5 m and 10 oC in the lower

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part (below 3.5 m) during the course of the experiment, via an outer glycol layer. The convection of

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the upper part of the water column was obtained by purging with ~20 mL s-1 air at a depth of 3.2 m

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from the water surface. 150 W metal halogen lamps (Master colour CDM-T 150w/942 G12 1CT) were

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used as light sources with 12/12 hour on/off cycles. When turned on, the lamps resulted in average

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photon flux through the water column of 410, 57 and 2.7 µmol s-1 m-2 at ~0.05 m, 1 m and 4 m depth,

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respectively. Further technical specifications of mesocosm system compartments are given in Table

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S1. The total experiment time was 30 days from 9th February (referred to as day 1) to 10th March (day

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30). Nutrients (nitrate (NO3-), phosphate (PO43-) and ammonium (NH4+) prepared from salts of NaNO3,

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NaH2PO4×H2O and NH4Cl) were added at moderate levels (corresponding to 19.5 µg L-1 NO3-, 3.49 µg

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L-1 NH4+ and 3.33 µg L-1 H2PO4- in the 2000 L mesocosm water phase) equivalent to 3-10% of the

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concentrations typical for winter conditions in the Bothnian Sea (600 µg L-1 NO3-, 30 µg L-1 NH4+ and

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70 µg L-1 H2PO4-)27 during the first two weeks of the experiments (additions were done at day 1, 8 and

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11). The nutrient concentrations were increased by a factor of five (corresponding to 97.5 µg L-1 NO3-,

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17.5 µg L-1 NH4+ and 16.7 µg L-1 H2PO4- in the 2000 L mesocosm water phase) during the last two

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weeks of the experiments to induce a plankton bloom effect (additions were done at day 15 and 22).

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The in situ net methylation and demethylation of Hg were measured using five HgII or MeHg tracers

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added to the water column (denoted

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The tracers were synthesized from HgII enriched

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(96.41%),

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Laboratory (TN, USA). β‒201HgSsed and isotopically enriched MeHg tracers were synthesized as

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described by Jonsson et al.13 and Snell et al.,28 respectively. The 200HgII‒NOMsed and Me198Hg‒NOMsed

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tracers were prepared by adding

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previously characterized by Skyllberg and Drott.29 The Hg/RSH molar ratio was kept in the range

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giving 1:2 HgII:RSH and 1:1 MeHg:RSH complex stoichiometry.30 A slurry mixture of β‒201HgSsed,

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200

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and injected at 1 cm depth into the ~0.2 m deep × 0.63 m ⌀ intact sediment cores one day prior to

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the start of the experiment using an electronic 12 channel pipette (VWR, for 10‒200 µL). The

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injections were made with help of a custom made grid system which was placed above the sediment

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surface. Totally 3384 injections were done per sediment core, resulting in 113 injections per dm2

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(Table S2) covering 95% of the sediment surface. Sediment sections not covered by addition of tracer

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were in the outer part (close to the wall) and no sediment sub-samples were taken from these areas

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during the experiment. The intact sediment cores were then placed into the water filled mesocosm

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with the lid retained during the placement to protect the sediment surface. This is denoted day 1 of

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the experiment. The average ambient HgII and MeHg concentrations in the sediment were 170 pmol

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g-1 and 2.9 pmol g-1 (dry weight), respectively. The added concentration of HgIIsed (sum of β‒201HgSsed

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and

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HgII and MeHg, respectively. Aqueous stock solutions of Me199Hgwt and

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extraction from toluene28 and dissolution of the oxide salt, respectively in 0.1 M HCl. A 20 mL mixture

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of Me199Hgwt and

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immediately added to the water column at day 1 and 15 with one aliquot of 13.3 mL at 1.5 m depth

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and 6.7 mL at 4 m depth from the water surface (Table S3). The two additions were made to sustain

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the concentration of Hg in the water phase, and were based on a previously observed average

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residence time of 10-15 days for Hg in the mesocosm water column.16

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Sampling and analysis. The sampling and analytical measurement procedures applied here have

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been previously described in detail by Jonsson et al.16 Briefly, water samples were collected during

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the experiment at specific depths using teflon tubing and peristaltic pumps. These samples were

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then used to measure photosynthetic primary and bacterial production rate (by incorporation

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experiments of NaH14CO3 and [3H-methyl]-thymidine, respectively), HgII methylation rate constants

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(km), MeHg demethylation rate constants (kd) and concentrations of chlorophyll a (Chl α), DOC,

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Hg (98.11%) and

204

wt

tracers) or injected into the sediment (denoted sed tracers). 196

Hg (50%),

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Hg (92.78%),

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Hg (91.95%),

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Hg

Hg (98.11%) (as HgO or HgCl2) purchased from Oak Ridge National

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HgII(aq) and Me198Hg(aq) to a homogenized humic soil extract

HgII‒NOMsed and Me198Hg‒NOMsed (2.59 µM, 3.89 µM and 0.25 µM, respectively) was prepared

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HgII‒NOMsed) and Me198Hg‒NOMsed tracers (Table S2) constituted 50% and 130% of ambient

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204

HgIIwt were prepared by

HgIIwt (0.22 µM and 2.24 µM, respectively) was diluted with MQ water and

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nutrients and MeHg. Pressure, turbidity and O2 saturation were measured in situ in the water column

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using a Seaguard CTD with attached microelectrode sensors (Unisense), and light penetration was

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measured using a Spherical Quantum Sensor (LI-COR, 193-SA and LI-COR 1400 unit). Sediment sub-

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cores (diameter of 4.2 cm) were sampled during the experiment using a custom made sampler

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designed for the mesocosm system.16 Sediment was sampled for determination of km and kd, dry

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weight, concentrations of total C, total N, HgT and MeHg. The concentrations of MeHg in water and

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of HgT and MeHg in sediment were determined using

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isotope dilution analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) for HgT and Gas

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Chromatography‒ICPMS analysis for MeHg.31 Concentrations of HgT and MeHg for ambient Hg and

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tracers were then calculated from mass bias corrected signals using signal deconvolution.32

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Determination of km and kd (ex situ experiments). The

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the water column in situ were also added to sediment slurries incubated ex situ to determine the km

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and kd, respectively). The sediment slurries were prepared from the top 2 cm of sediment sub cores

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collected from the mesocosm during the experiment. The concentration of 204HgII and Me199Hg added

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ex situ were on average 7.0 and 0.60 pmol g-1 (d.w.), respectively, and exceeded the concentration of

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204

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(d.w.) for

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simultaneously, t0 and t48. The ex situ incubations were terminated by freezing directly after the

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addition of ex situ tracer for t0 samples and after incubating for 48 hours under a N2(g) atmosphere

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(using a glove box) and dark condition for t48 samples. The amount of MeHg from the 204HgIIwt tracers

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added in situ (which deposited from the water column and methylated in the sediments) in t0

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samples was subtracted from the amount formed from the tracer added ex situ in t48 samples. The kd

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and km were calculated using equations 1 and 2.

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km = ([Me204Hg]t48 - [Me204Hg]t0) / ([204HgII]added × time of incubation)

(d-1)

(1)

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kd = -1 × (ln[Me199Hg]t48 - ln[Me199Hg]t0) / time of incubation

(d-1)

(2)

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where subscripts “t48” and “t0” refer to measured MeHg concentrations at 48 h and 0 h of

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incubation, respectively, and subscript “added” refers to the concentration of HgII added to sediment

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in the incubation assay.

196

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HgII or Me196Hg as internal standard for

Hg(aq) and Me199Hg(aq) tracers added to

HgII and Me199Hg already present in the sediment from in situ added tracers (3.4 and 0.25 pmol g-1 204

HgII and Me199Hg, respectively). Two sets of sediment slurries were prepared

198 199

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

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Pelagic productivity and sedimentation of organic matter to the benthic zone. Selected key

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ecological and biogeochemical factors describing the model ecosystems are given in Table S4. At the

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start of the experiment, rates of photosynthetic primary biomass production and bacterial biomass

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production and the concentration of Chl α were 0.7 and 4.4 µmol C dm-2 h-1 and 1.1 µg dm-3,

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respectively. These conditions corresponded well with those typically observed during mid-winter

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with ice cover in the Bothnian Sea.33 Both primary production and the concentration of Chl α in the

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mesocosm water phase (Figure 1a) responded quickly to the combined treatment of light exposure

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and nutrient addition and reflected growth of phytoplankton. At day 22, the primary production and

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the concentration of Chl α reached a maximum and corresponded to typical spring bloom conditions

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in the Bothnian Sea (primary production of ~8 µmol C dm-2 h-1)27. After day 22 both variables

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decreased despite a maintained nutrient loading, which may be explained by the growth rate of

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predatory zooplankton which commonly increases subsequent to phytoplankton growth, generating

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a predator-prey dynamic.34 The pelagic bacteria biomass production rate remained fairly constant at

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4.1 ± 1.1 (given as average ± CI throughout the text unless otherwise stated, p=0.05, n=12) µmol C

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dm-2 h-1 throughout the experiment. The structure of the food web was thus shifted during the

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experiment, from a bacteria dominated (heterotrophic) to a photosynthetic primary production

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dominated (autotrophic) web, in response to the mesocosm light and nutrient addition treatment.

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Following the increases in primary production rate and Chl α concentration, the C/N molar ratio in

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the material collected in sedimentation traps (placed at the bottom of triplicate mesocosms without

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sediment) decreased from 10.7 ± 0.3 during weeks 0–2 to 8.6 ± 0.9 (p=0.05, n=6) during weeks 2–4 of

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the experiment. This decrease in C/N molar ratio suggested an increased fraction of autochthonous

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over allochthonous NOM in the deposited material during the second half of the experiment.35 As a

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comparison, the C/N molar ratio in the top 0‒5 cm of the sediment was 11.4 ± 0.3 (p=0.05, n=12).

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The total amount of deposited organic carbon during the 28 days of the experiment constituted 0.1%

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of the total organic carbon in the top 0-2 cm of the sediment. It is however expected that this

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fraction is important for controlling the activity of saprotrophic microbial organisms,17-18 including

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bacteria with the capability of methylating HgII. The redox conditions of the bulk sediment, below an

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oxidized surface layer of 1‒2 mm (yellowish-brownish color by visual inspection), was in the

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ferruginous to low sulfidic range with a concentration of dissolved sulfide in the pore water of < 0.05

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to 1.0 µM. This is in good agreement with previous studies on sediment from the same area.13,16,25

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Effect of nutrient loading on rates of methylation and demethylation of labile Hg tracers added ex

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situ. Benthic anaerobic bacteria primarily utilize metabolic electron donors originating from

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autochthonous rather than allochthonous NOM.17-18 In line with this, high MeHg formation rates

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have been related to low C/N molar ratios in estuarine sediment,10,26 suggesting that the activity of

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mercury methylating bacteria could be driven by autochthonous NOM. As described above, the 7

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primary production and Chl α concentration increased during the second half of the experiment, and

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the C/N molar ratio was indicative of an increased proportion of planktonic material in the material

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deposited to the benthic zone in the last two weeks of the experiment. The HgII methylation rate

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constant (km) for the tracer (dissolved labile Hg(OH)2(aq) complex) added ex situ to sediment

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subsamples increased in parallel with increasing primary production and Chl α concentration (Figure

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1b). The constant increased by a factor of four from day 9 to day 16 followed by a decrease after day

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23. A significant correlation (R2=0.96) was found between the Chl α concentration and km. The MeHg

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demethylation rate constant (kd) in the sediment increased slightly towards the end of the

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experiment, when primary production rates and Chl α concentrations decreased after day 23. Overall

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kd was only moderately affected by the treatments and varied less than 40% during the 21 days’ time

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period covered by measurements (day 9‒30), while km increased by a factor of 3.9. When HgII and

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MeHg tracers are added as labile dissolved complexes to determine km and kd in short term

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incubation experiments, they typically have a higher availability for transformation reactions as

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compared to ambient Hg or the type of solid/adsorbed tracers added in situ to the mesocosms in this

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study.13,16 The results in Figure 1 therefore suggest that the methylation of HgII chemical forms having

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a high availability for methylation is rapid and largely responds to changes in pelagic primary

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production rate and Chl α biomass following altered nutrient loading rate. These results also highlight

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that although the amount of freshly deposited autochthonous organic carbon constituted only a

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small fraction (0.1%) of the total organic carbon in the surface sediment, it significantly enhanced

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MeHg formation.

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Effect of nutrient loading on net methylation of Hg tracers added in situ. Net methylation of tracers

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added in situ (injected in the sediment at a depth of 1 cm; β‒201HgSsed,

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NOMsed, and added to the water column; 204HgIIwt and Me199Hgwt) was determined as the MeHg/HgII

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molar ratio16. The average net methylation was significantly different for the different HgII tracers

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(ANOVA, p