Mercury Accumulation in Food Chains

The relation between methyl mercury concentrations in the liver and in muscle of fish indicates the relation between accumulation and excretion rates of methly mercury. The total mercury content of benthic animals is of little interest when one calculates the rate of mercury transport from bonthic animals to fish that feed on them. This is because the percentage of methyl mercury in the total mercury content of the benthos is generally low (much lower than the percentage in fish) and the total mercury content is very variable. The methyl mercury transportation from benthic fauna to bottom feeding fish is evidently small. By comparing the total mercury content of the three ecological subgroups of benthic animals, it seems possible to separate situations where release of mercury prevails from situations where it has ceased.