Soil macroinvertebrates as ecosystem engineers play significant, but largely ignored, roles in affecting mercury(Hg) cycle by altering soil physical-chemical properties. Ant is likely expanded into boreal mires with c...Soil macroinvertebrates as ecosystem engineers play significant, but largely ignored, roles in affecting mercury(Hg) cycle by altering soil physical-chemical properties. Ant is likely expanded into boreal mires with climate warming, however, its impacts on Hg cycle remained poorly understood. We compared total Hg(THg) and methylmercury(Me Hg) contents in soils from antmounds( Lasius flavus) and the nearby ambient in a boreal mire in Northeast China. The present work seeks to unravel factors that controlling Me Hg levels in case of ant appearance or absence. The average THg was 179 μg/kg in the ant mound and was 106.1 μg/kg in nearby soils, respectively. The average Me Hg was 10.9 μg/kg in the ant mound and was 12.9 μg/kg in nearby soils, respectively. The ratios of Me Hg to THg(%Me Hg) were 7.61% in ant mounds and 16.75% in nearby soils, respectively. Ant colonization caused THg enrichment and Me Hg depletion, and this change was obvious in the 10-20 cm depth soil layer where ants mainly inhabited. Spectrometry characteristics of soil dissolved organic matter(DOM) exert a stronger control than microorganisms on Me Hg variation in soils. A structural equation model revealed that the molecular weight of DOM inhibited Me Hg irrespective of ant presence or absence, while humification conducive to Me Hg significantly in ant mound soils. Microorganisms mainly affected Hg methylation by altering the molecular weight and humification of DOM. We propose that the effects of ant colonization on Me Hg rested on DOM feature variations caused by microorganisms in boreal mires.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. U20A2083, U19A2042, and 41771103)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS (No. 2018265)。
文摘Soil macroinvertebrates as ecosystem engineers play significant, but largely ignored, roles in affecting mercury(Hg) cycle by altering soil physical-chemical properties. Ant is likely expanded into boreal mires with climate warming, however, its impacts on Hg cycle remained poorly understood. We compared total Hg(THg) and methylmercury(Me Hg) contents in soils from antmounds( Lasius flavus) and the nearby ambient in a boreal mire in Northeast China. The present work seeks to unravel factors that controlling Me Hg levels in case of ant appearance or absence. The average THg was 179 μg/kg in the ant mound and was 106.1 μg/kg in nearby soils, respectively. The average Me Hg was 10.9 μg/kg in the ant mound and was 12.9 μg/kg in nearby soils, respectively. The ratios of Me Hg to THg(%Me Hg) were 7.61% in ant mounds and 16.75% in nearby soils, respectively. Ant colonization caused THg enrichment and Me Hg depletion, and this change was obvious in the 10-20 cm depth soil layer where ants mainly inhabited. Spectrometry characteristics of soil dissolved organic matter(DOM) exert a stronger control than microorganisms on Me Hg variation in soils. A structural equation model revealed that the molecular weight of DOM inhibited Me Hg irrespective of ant presence or absence, while humification conducive to Me Hg significantly in ant mound soils. Microorganisms mainly affected Hg methylation by altering the molecular weight and humification of DOM. We propose that the effects of ant colonization on Me Hg rested on DOM feature variations caused by microorganisms in boreal mires.
