Fulvic acid: A key factor governing mercury bioavailability in a polluted plateau wetland

Fulvic acids (FAs) are known to regulate the fate of mercury (Hg) in sediments, but the key effects of their properties are still unclear. In this study, field investigations and simulation experiments were conducted in a heavy metal-polluted wetland to identify FA characteristics and their association with the production and bioaccumulation of methylmercury (MeHg). Compared to permanently inundated areas (PIA), seasonally inundated areas (SIAs) had lower total Hg levels in sediments, whereas higher MeHg levels in sediments (0.20 ± 0.09 ng g-1 vs. 0.55 ± 0.31 ng g-1) and benthos (0.25 ± 0.22 ng g-1 vs. 1.62 ± 1.78 ng g-1). Meanwhile, the THg and MeHg concentrations in the same macrophyte species between PIA and SIA also followed a similar rule with benthos. FA-bound Hg in the sediment was significantly correlated with MeHg in the sediment (p < 0.01), as well as THg and MeHg in benthos (p < 0.05), indicating that FAs have the capacity to promote MeHg production and bioaccumulation. Moreover, the FAs in the sediments of the SIA had lower fractions and alkyl C/O-alkyl C ratios, but higher molecular weights and THg/MeHg concentrations than those in the PIA, indicating that FAs in SIA have increased bioavailability and enhanced competition for Hg, favoring significantly elevated FA-bound Hg levels. Biological exposure testing further demonstrated that FAs extracted from SIA had a greater ability to increase the production and bioaccumulation of MeHg than those extracted from PIA. Overall, these results highlight that the molecular composition and sources of FAs, excluding their concentrations, are one of important factors responsible for the obvious spatial heterogeneity of MeHg in sediments and aquatic organisms in the wetland.