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Sergio Redondo, Signals of a Persistent Pollutant: Characterizing the History, Distribution, and Bioaccumulation of Mercury at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (and beyond)

Aerial view of Searsville Reservoir

Signals of a Persistent Pollutant: Characterizing the History, Distribution, and Bioaccumulation of Mercury at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (and beyond)

Sergio Redondo, PhD Candidate, Hadly Lab, Department of Biology, Stanford University 

California’s geology, mining history and atmospheric deposition have led to extensive accumulation of mercury in the Bay Area, with troubling implications for human, wildlife and environmental health. Although mercury is relatively well studied in the aquatic ecosystems of this region, little work has focused on the terrestrial component. However, we know that soil organisms are important factors in making mercury bioavailable to other organisms via their functional roles in the ecosystem as well as being primary food items for many other taxa below- and above-ground. In this talk, I will present results from three areas of my research to characterize this global pollutant: 1) sediment core analyses to assess the historical levels of mercury in the local watershed, 2) soil and soil invertebrate sampling to understand distributional patterns of mercury availability and bioaccumulation, and 3) invertivore predator sampling to assess biomagnification in higher trophic levels of relevant food webs. Finally, I will discuss some of the broader implications for this work and some future directions.

Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Zoom Meeting 4:30 PM (PT)

ZOOM Meeting (Contact Jorge Ramos jorge.ramos @ stanford.edu for the link)