Le cycle du mercure dans les sédiments de la rivière Saint-Maurice impacté par des perturbations du paysage : hydroélectricité, feu de forêt et coupes forestières
Run-of-river dams (RoRs) are expected to triple in the next decade in response to the global transition to renewable energy. However, unlike reservoir dams whose impacts on the mercury (Hg) cycle are well known, very few studies have evaluated the impact of RoRs on the mobilization and transformation of Hg into methylmercury (MeHg), a bioaccumulative and bioamplifiable neurotoxin along the trophic chain. Despite the limited area of flooding created by these small structures compared to reservoir dams, the pondages created upstream could still contribute to creating conditions conducive to the methylation of Hg. This study was carried out on the St. Maurice River (QC, Canada) located in a riverscape recently influenced by to the recent construction of two RoRs and artificial wetlands and to the concomitant presence of disturbances in the landscape. The results show an increase in the percentage of methylmercury (% MeHg) from 2 to 3 times in the flooded areas compared to the reference sites or downstream sites. In addition, an increase in total mercury (THg) and organic matter (MO) concentrations are observed in these same flooded areas subject to landscape disturbances: forest fire and logging. It suggests that forest fires and logging are contributing to the transfer of MO bound to Hg from the watershed to the river, as indicated by the positive correlation between the C / N ratio and % MeHg. The accumulation of MO and Hg in the pondages are likely favorable to the stimulation of the prokaryotic methylating community whose hgcA marker gene was detected at all sites with a very diverse composition, dominated by methanogens, sulfate-reducers and fermenters in this system. In the light of these results, we suggest that future studies on RoRs integrate the landscape as a whole and establish a monitoring of Hg concentrations before, during and after construction.
hgcA Mercury Methylmercury River Landscape Run-of-river dam Organic matter