The effects of selenium biofortification on mercury bioavailability and toxicity in the lettuce-slug food chain

Abstract The effects of foliar Se biofortification (Se+) of the lettuce on the transfer and toxicity of Hg from soil contaminated with HgCl2 (H) and soil collected near the former Hg smelter in Idrija (I), to terrestrial food chain are explored, with Spanish slug as a primary consumer. Foliar application of Se significantly increased Se content in the lettuce, with no detected toxic effects. Mercury exerted toxic effects on plants, decreasing plant biomass, photochemical efficiency of the photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and the total chlorophyll content. Selenium biofortification (Se + test group) had no effect on Hg bioaccumulation in plants. In slugs, different responses were observed in H and I groups; the I/Se  + subgroup was the most strongly affected by Hg toxicity, exhibiting lower biomass, feeding and growth rate and a higher HP/M Hg translocation, pointing to a higher Hg mobility in comparison to H group. Selenium increased Hg bioavailability for slugs, but with opposite physiological responses: alleviating stress in H/Se + and inducing it in I/Se  + group, indicating different mechanisms of Hg-Se interactions in the food chain under HgCl2 and Idrija soil exposures that can be mainly attributed to different Hg speciation and ligand environment in the soil.