Aqueous MeHg, the most biologically available form of Hg, is
concentrated by microscopic phytoplankton in the water body.
These Hg-enriched particles are then consumed by zooplankton,
which in turn are a primary food source of larval, juvenile, and
some adult fish. Our results summarized herein suggested that both
the difference of Hg accumulation of microalgae and the feeding
selectivity of zooplankton to the microalgal diet resulted in the
difference of Hg accumulation in the zooplankton. Likewise, the
different Hg accumulation in fish was attributed to their selectivity
on the zooplankton diets. Although the results were from a laboratory
study, they demonstrated that Hg accumulation in predator
organisms could be affected not only by food web length but also by
food web structure, especially under the same water body. The
present study may provide insight for enhancing marine environmental
protection.