Mercury in the Southwestern Atlantic reef-building coral Montastraea cavernosa (Cnidaria, Scleractinia)

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2024-09, Vol.363, p.142817, Article 142817
• Main Authors: Menezes, Natália, Felix, Caio, Cruz, Igor, Martinez, Sabrina Teixeira, da Rocha, Gisele O., Leão, Zelinda M.A.N., de Andrade, Jailson B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anthozoa - chemistry; Coral Reefs; Coral skeleton; Coral tissue; corals; direct contact; Ecosystem; environmental management; Environmental Monitoring; Mercury; Mercury - analysis; Scleractinia; skeleton; Todos os Santos bay; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142817

Coastal ecosystems, such as coral reefs, are particularly vulnerable to mercury contamination due to direct contact with terrestrial sources. Here, we evaluated, for the first time, the concentration of mercury in coral reefs in the Southwestern Atlantic using the amphi-atlantic scleractinian coral Montastraea cavernosa. Sampling was realized over an extension of 200 km along different coral reefs. Our data show mercury values ranging from 0.01 to 0.27 mg kg−1 in the tissue and 0.001–0.06 mg kg−1 in the skeleton and higher values when compared to coral worldwide. The concentration of mercury in the tissue from Todos os Santos Bay was higher than in open sea regions but also higher compared to other coral reefs of the world, while the skeleton concentration did not indicate any differences when compared to the open sea regions. The data presented is of concern as we consider the importance of coral reefs and should be used in future environmental management planning. [Display omitted] •Hg in corals were reported for the first time in 200 km in Southwest Atlantic.•M. cavernosa presented higher Hg concentration then other species worldwide.•Tissue of M. cavernosa showed more Hg concentration than skeleton.•Concentrations of Hg from Todos os Santos Bay were higher than in open sea reefs.