The Bioaccumulation of Methylmercury in an Aquatic Ecosystem

A model for the bioaccumulation of methyl-mercury in an aquatic ecosystem is described. This model combines predator-prey equations for interactions across three trophic levels with pharmacokinetic equations for toxin elimination at each level. The model considers the inflow and outflow of mercury via tributaries, precipitation, deposition and bacterial methylation to determine the concentration of toxin in the aquatic system. A sensitivity analysis shows that the model is most sensitive to the rate of energy transfer from the first trophic level to the second. Using known elimination constants for methyl mercury in various fish species and known sources of input of methyl mercury for Lake Erie, the model predicts toxin levels at the three trophic levels that are reasonably close to those measured in the lake. The model predicts that eliminating methyl mercury input to the Lake from two of its tributary rivers would result in a 44 percent decrease in toxin at each trophic level.