Salt marsh plants carbon storage in a temperate Atlantic estuary illustrated by a stable isotopic analysis based approach |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Geological Sciences, East Carolina University, Graham Building, Room 101, Greenville, NC 27858-4353, USA;2. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, 241 Williamson Hall, P.O. Box 112120, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA;3. Department of Biology, East Carolina University, N108 Howell Science Complex, Greenville, NC 27858-4353, USA;4. Departamento de Geologia, Instituto Dom Luiz – IDL, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal;1. Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Acceso a la Cala S. Francesc 14, 17300 Blanes, Spain;2. Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge UB8 3PH, UK;3. School of Science, Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia;4. Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Campus Sur, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain;1. Vanderbilt University, United States;2. Boston University, United States;3. University of Georgia, United States;4. University of Southern Maine, United States;5. Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, United States |
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| Abstract: | The biomasses, carbon standing stocks, and exportations of three saltmarsh species – Scirpus maritimus, Spartina maritima and Zostera noltii – were determined and their isotopic composition analyzed to illustrate their role in carbon storage in a temperate Atlantic estuary (Mondego, Portugal). Biomass values were higher in the warmer seasons than in the cold seasons, with carbon contents following the same trend. Carbon content ranged from 27–39% in S. maritimus and S. maritima to 30–39% for Z. noltii. S. maritimus had the highest carbon production in the aboveground organs and had similar results with S. maritima in the belowground carbon production. These three species together occupied about 50% of the salt marsh area and they stored in 21 months of study 24,000 kg of carbon in their aboveground and belowground organs. Z. noltii presented highest carbon concentration in the sediment and S. maritimus the lowest. Stable carbon isotopic analysis showed that apparently, the sedimentary organic matter is composed by a mix of terrestrial sources, macro and microalgae. Regard the high carbon exportation, S. maritima and Z. noltii are constantly accumulating carbon. The studied species have both a sink and source behaviour simultaneously. |
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| Keywords: | Estuaries Salt marsh plants Carbon storage Stable carbon isotope |
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