Mercury bioaccumulation in the aquatic plant Elodea nuttallii in the field and in microcosm: accumulation in shoots from the water might involve copper transporters.

Previous studies suggest that macrophytes might participate in bioaccumulation and biomagnification of toxic mercury (Hg) in aquatic environment. Hg bioaccumulation and uptake mechanisms in macrophytes need therefore to be studied. Amongst several macrophytes collected in an Hg contaminated reservoir in Romania, Elodea nuttallii showed a high organic and inorganic Hg accumulation and was then further studied in the laboratory. Tolerance and accumulation of Hg of this plant was also high in the microcosm. Basipetal transport of inorganic Hg was predominant, whereas acropetal transport of methyl-Hg was observed with apparently negligible methylation or demethylation in planta. Hg concentrations were higher in roots>leaves>stems and in top>middle>bottom of shoots. In shoots, more than 60% Hg was found intracellularly where it is believed to be highly available to predators. Accumulation in shoots was highly reduced by cold, death and by competition with Cu(+). Hg in E. nuttallii shoots seems to mainly originate from the water column, but methyl-Hg could also be remobilized from the sediments and might drive in part its entry in the food web. At the cellular level, uptake of Hg into the cell sap of shoots seems linked to the metabolism and to copper transporters. The present work highlights an important breakthrough in our understanding of Hg accumulation and biomagnifications: the remobilization of methyl-Hg from sediments to aquatic plants and differences in uptake mechanisms of inorganic and methyl-Hg in a macrophyte.