Monitoring mercury (Hg) levels in biota is considered an important objective for the effectiveness evaluation of the Minamata Convention. While many studies have characterized Hg levels in organisms at multiple spatiotemporal scales, concentration analyses alone often cannot provide sufficient information on the Hg exposure sources and internal processes occurring within biota. Here, we review the decadal scientific progress of using Hg isotopes to understand internal processes that modify the speciation, transport, and fate of Hg within biota. Mercury stable isotopes have emerged as a powerful tool for assessing Hg sources and biogeochemical processes in natural environments. A better understanding of the tissue location and internal mechanisms leading to Hg isotope change is key to assessing its use for biomonitoring. We synthesize the current understanding and uncertainties of internal processes leading to Hg isotope fractionation in a variety of biota, in a sequence of better to less studied organisms (i.e., birds, marine mammals, humans, fish, plankton, and invertebrates). This review discusses the opportunities and challenges of using certain forms of biota for Hg source monitoring and the need to further elucidate the physiological mechanisms that control the accumulation, distribution, and toxicity of Hg in biota by coupling new techniques with Hg stable isotopes.

中文翻译：

---

生物群中汞的内部动力学和代谢：对汞稳定同位素见解的回顾

监测生物群中的汞 (Hg) 水平被认为是评估《水俣公约》有效性的一个重要目标。虽然许多研究已经在多个时空尺度上表征了生物体内的汞水平，但仅靠浓度分析通常无法提供关于汞暴露源和生物群内发生的内部过程的足够信息。在这里，我们回顾了使用汞同位素来了解改变生物群中汞的形态、运输和命运的内部过程的十年科学进展。汞稳定同位素已成为评估自然环境中汞来源和生物地球化学过程的有力工具。更好地了解导致 Hg 同位素变化的组织位置和内部机制是评估其用于生物监测的关键。我们综合了当前对导致各种生物群中 Hg 同位素分馏的内部过程的理解和不确定性，这些生物群的研究范围从较好到研究较少的有机体（即鸟类、海洋哺乳动物、人类、鱼类、浮游生物和无脊椎动物）。本综述讨论了使用某些形式的生物群监测 Hg 源的机遇和挑战，以及通过将新技术与 Hg 稳定同位素相结合，进一步阐明控制 Hg 在生物群中积累、分布和毒性的生理机制的必要性。