| Abstract Title: | Potential Mercury Bioaccumulation in Fish and Benthic Invertebrates: From Riverine Sediment in Mara River. |
| Presenter Name: | Joshua Benjamin |
| Company/Institution: | University of Florida |
| Session: | Mercury in Freshwater Ecosystems |
| Co-Authors: | Joshua Benjamin |
Abstract Information :
Riverine sediments are key sites of mercury methylation, fish and benthic invertebrates may be indicators of Hg exposure to higher trophic organisms. Although there has been concerns about heavy metal contamination in the Mara River basin, there has yet to be a thorough basin-wide assessment. Here, we study From 2021 to 2022, we collected sediment, fish and benthic invertebrate samples at 9 sites from different land use patterns and analyzed for THg and MeHg. Concentrations in fish and invertebrates were separated into taxon and functional feeding guilds. We do not have the results yet since the project is in the preliminary stages, but we are expecting to have some results before the conference time. Our findings will provide key baseline information on potential mercury contamination in the Mara River basin while using fish and aquatic invertebrate as bioindicators.
