Mercury and amino acid content relations in northern pike (Esox lucius) in subarctic lakes along a climate-productivity gradient

Natalia Kozak; Kimmo K Kahilainen; Hannu K Pakkanen; Brian Hayden; Kjartan Østbye; Sami J Taipale

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2023.116511

Mercury and amino acid content relations in northern pike (Esox lucius) in subarctic lakes along a climate-productivity gradient

Environ Res. 2023 Sep 15:233:116511. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116511. Epub 2023 Jun 25.

Authors

Natalia Kozak¹, Kimmo K Kahilainen², Hannu K Pakkanen³, Brian Hayden⁴, Kjartan Østbye⁵, Sami J Taipale³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, Anne Evenstad Veg 80, NO-2480, Koppang, Norway. Electronic address: natalia.kozak@inn.no.
² Lammi Biological Station, University of Helsinki, Pääjärventie 320, FI-16900, Lammi, Finland; Kilpisjärvi Biological Station, University of Helsinki, Käsivarrentie 14622, FI-99490, Kilpisjärvi, Finland.
³ Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O.Box 35 (YA), FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland.
⁴ Biology Department, Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada.
⁵ Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, Anne Evenstad Veg 80, NO-2480, Koppang, Norway; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O.Box 1066, Blindern, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway.

PMID: 37369304
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116511

Abstract

Mercury is a highly toxic element for consumers, but its relation to amino acids and physiology of wild fish is not well known. The main aim of this study was to evaluate how total mercury content (THg) of northern pike (Esox lucius) is related to amino acids and potentially important environmental and biological factors along a climate-productivity gradient of ten subarctic lakes. Linear regression between THg and sixteen amino acids content [nmol mg^-1 dry weight] from white dorsal muscle of pike from these lakes were tested. Lastly, a general linear model (GLM) for age-corrected THg was used to test which factors are significantly related to mercury content of pike. There was a positive relationship between THg and proline. Seven out of sixteen analysed amino acids (histidine, threonine, arginine, serine, glutamic acid, glycine, and aspartic acid) were significantly negatively related to warmer and more productive lakes, while THg showed a positive relationship. GLM model indicated higher THg was found in higher trophic level pike with lower cysteine content and inhabiting warmer and more productive lakes with larger catchment containing substantial proportion of peatland area. In general, THg was not only related to the biological and environmental variables but also to amino acid content.

Keywords: Age; Cysteine; Growth; Methionine; Proline; Total mercury.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Amino Acids / metabolism
Animals
Environmental Monitoring
Esocidae / metabolism
Fishes / metabolism
Lakes / chemistry
Mercury* / analysis
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Mercury
Amino Acids
Water Pollutants, Chemical