Faulkner, Megan; Stoneham, Lisa; Brasso, Rebecka (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Brasso, Rebecka (College of Science, Zoology)
Mercury is a toxic heavy metal that poses significant health risks to humans and wildlife. The organic form of mercury, methylmercury (MeHg), is converted from its inorganic form via microbial methylation primarily in aquatic systems. Methylmercury is dangerous because it attaches to proteins in blood and muscle and biomagnifies in food webs. The goal of this project, is to determine mercury concentrations in western spotted orb weaver spiders (Neoscona oaxacensis) collected from two sites on Antelope Island State Park. Previous studies have shown orb weavers associated with the Great Salt Lake ecosystem to accumulate significant methylmercury, connecting the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems through a shared food web. The Great Salt Lake surrounding Antelope Island has historically shown some of the highest levels of Hg in surface waters in the United States and has both an abundance of orb weaver spiders and their preferred prey—brine flies. We tested the hypothesis that mercury concentrations in orb weaver spiders would differ between two sites on the island based on differences in environmental conditions (salinity) in the water where brine flies develop. All spiders were sexed, weighed, and individually analyzed for total mercury concentration using a Nippon MA-3000 Direct Mercury Analyzer.