Abstract: Seven different types of arthropods, including nine species, were collected from Wanshan mercury (Hg) mining region and Leishan control site for Hg and selenium (Se) analysis. Stable isotopes δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N were also measured. Results showed that average concentrations of Hg and Se in arthropods were 157±329 and 190±277 ng·g^-1 in Leishan, respectively, which were much lower than the 5692±1472 ng·g^-1 for Hg and 2220±691 ng·g^-1 for Se in Wanshan. Mercury concentrations in carnivorous species were significantly higher than those of herbivorous animals from both Hg mining region and control site, demonstrating Hg’s ability to bioaccumulate across food webs. However, Se did not show bioaccumulation in arthropods. A significant positive correlation (r=0.983, P<0.001) between Se and Hg was observed in samples collected from the control site with a molar ratio of 2∶1, but such a relationship was not found in the Hg mining region. A positive correlation (r=0.434, P<0.001) between δ¹⁵N with Hg showed that δ¹⁵N could better reflect the relationship among predators and prey than δ¹³C did.

Key words: industrial structure, ecologicalization, spatio-temporal pattern, Jilin Province