The fishes associated with three intertidal salt marsh creeks in a temperate southern African estuary

This study compares the fish assemblages in a range of intertidal salt marsh creeks in the Kariega Estuary, South Africa, as well as highlighting any differences between the ichthyofaunal structure of the creeks and adjacent Zostera bed habitats. The superimposition of environmental variables on the creek biotic groupings (60% similarity level) indicated consistent relationships between both the creek water depth and mouth area with the major creek fish clusters. Water temperature, salinity and turbidity did not display any pattern which could explain the disparity between the ichthyofaunal groupings. The results also indicated that intertidal creeks form a unique littoral habitat within the Kariega Estuary, with ichthyofaunal compositions very different to those found in nearby eelgrass beds. Furthermore, intertidal creeks in the Kariega system appear to be similar to creeks found elsewhere in the world in that their fish assemblages are dominated by 0+ juveniles, have a conspicuous marine transient and estuarine resident component, and very few piscivorous representatives. These results also give weight to the hypothesis that southern African salt marsh creek habitats serve as temporary refuges to juvenile fishes, a role that has also been proposed in other parts of the world.     

长江河口潮间带盐沼植被分布区及邻近光滩鱼类组成特征

研究鱼类群落在不同生境中的差异或者变化,是评价与预测生境丧失、环境退化等对湿地生物多样性与生态系统功能影响的重要基础。2006年4—11月,在长江河口崇明东滩盐沼植被分布区(简称草滩)和邻近的光滩区域分别设置采样站位,每月大潮期采用定制插网对鱼类群落进行了取样调查。分析研究了长江河口潮间带盐沼植被分布区和邻近光滩区域的鱼类组成及其月际变化,并对影响鱼类分布的主要因子进行了探讨。调查期间共采集鱼类标本1638尾,分属9目14科22种;其中,淡水鱼类2种,定居性河口鱼类12种,海洋鱼类5种,洄游鱼类3种。植被分布区和光滩区域鱼类组成及优势种特征存在明显差异。调查期间,植被分布区记录鱼类13种,主要优势种为斑尾刺虾虎鱼(Acanthogobius ommaturus)、鲻(Mugil cephalus)和棱鮻(Liza carinatus)(IRI>20),其他种类基本不具有优势度特征(IRI<0.05);光滩区域记录鱼类20种,主要优势种鲻(IRI>20),其他包括斑尾刺虾虎鱼、狼牙鳗虾虎鱼(Taenioides rubicundus)、棱鮻和棘头梅童鱼(Collichthys lucidus)也具有一定的优势特征(20>IRI>10);两个区域共有种为11种,部分种类只出现在光滩或植被分布区,但主要优势种均为定居性河口鱼类。与世界其他河口盐沼湿地鱼类研究结果不同的是,光滩区域记录的鱼类物种数、个体数、生物量和整体物种多样性水平均高于植被分布区;光滩和植被分布区鱼类相应的量比关系存在明显的月际变化,但两种生境鱼类组成间的关联性和差异性均不显著。通过比较两种生境共有的优势种体长发现,长江河口盐沼植被分布区鱼类优势种的平均体长大于光滩区域,而且植被分布区部分优势种体长的上、下限范围也大于光滩区域。长江河口盐沼植被分布区,除了育幼场外,还是许多鱼类成鱼的重要栖息地。影响河口潮间带盐沼湿地鱼类组成与分布的主要因素包括鱼类自身的生物学与生活史特征、饵料生物的组成与分布、植被出现与表形特征等生物因素和水温、盐度、淡水径流、潮汐特性等非生物因素,其对长江河口潮间带盐沼湿地中鱼类群落的组成与分布的综合作用机理有待进一步研究。     

Light and dissolved nutrients mediate recalcitrant organic matter decomposition via microbial priming in experimental streams

1. Environmental factors such as nutrient and light availability may play important roles in determining the magnitude and direction of microbial priming and detrital decomposition and, therefore, the relative importance of microbial priming in carbon (C) dynamics in freshwater ecosystems.
2. We integrated light availability with an existing conceptual model predicting the magnitude of the priming effect (PE) along a dissolved nutrient gradient (i.e. nutrient PE model). Our modified light-nutrient PE model hypothesises how light may mediate priming at any given nutrient concentration and provides a calculation method for quantitative PE values (i.e. light effect size at a given nutrient concentration).
3. We used recirculating stream mesocosms with Quercus stellata (post oak) leaf litter as an organic matter (OM) substrate in a 150-day experiment to test our model predictions. We manipulated light levels [ambient (full light), shaded (c. 19% of ambient)] and phosphorus (P) concentration (10, 100, 500 µg PO₄-P/L) in a fully factorial design. We also supplied all mesocosms with 500 µg/L dissolved inorganic nitrogen. Microbial biomass, water column dissolved organic C, and leaf litter dry mass and recalcitrant OM [i.e. the fibre (cellulose + lignin) component of post oak substrate] were measured. Recalcitrant OM (ROM) k-rates (day⁻¹) were used to calculate the light effect size within P treatments as a log response ratio (ln[ambient k-rate/shade k-rate]) to ascertain PE magnitude and direction (positive or negative).
4. Light was an important driver of dissolved organic C, a potential source of additional labile organic matter essential for priming heterotrophic microbes. There were weak PEs in total leaf litter dry mass remaining, but PEs were more pronounced in leaf litter ROM remaining. The strongest positive PEs (specific to litter ROM pools) occur in the highest P treatment, presumably due to a change in which nutrient, nitrogen versus P, was a limiting factor for microbes based on nutrient ratios rather than P concentration alone. These results illustrate the importance of considering light levels, nutrient ratios (rather than individual nutrients), and detrital ROM components in further PE model development.

     

The fish assemblage of the intertidal salt marsh creeks in North Bull Island, Dublin Bay: seasonal and tidal changes in composition, distribution and abundance

An intertidal salt marsh fish assemblage inhabiting two creeks on North Bull Island, Dublin Bay was sampled monthly from June 2000 until May 2002. Water temperature and salinity were recorded in situ and samples were also taken for Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) and Chlorophyll a. All fish caught were weighed and measured and classified into functional guilds. A total of 6,549 individuals comprising 10 fish species from 10 families were recorded within the two creeks. The community was dominated by a few species, a feature common to other estuarine fish populations. Of the 10 species found, the common goby, Pomatoschistus microps, the 3-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, the thick-lipped grey mullet, Chelon labrosus and the flounder, Platichthys flesus contributed 98.4% of all fish sampled. The fish population of the channels at Bull Island, Dublin, was dominated by the resident gobies (true estuarine resident species), but also hosted juveniles of species such as the bass, Dicentrarchus labrax (marine juvenile migrant species). In turn, the nekton populations were dominated by the brown shrimp, Crangon crangon and the fairy shrimp, Palaemonetes varians especially in winter when fewer fish (numbers of species and abundance) were found. Multivariate analysis of fish diversity and abundance revealed a strong seasonal pattern but there was little evidence of difference between creeks, nor of tidal (spring/neap) effects. The estuarine fish using the intertidal marsh creeks have been little studied in Europe yet they play a major role with the decapods in these habitats. This role needs to be quantified for a proper understanding of the system’s function.     

Concentration and transport of dissolved and suspended substances in the Orinoco River

The Orinoco River, which is hydrologically unregulated and has a minimally disturbed watershed, was sampled quantitatively over a four-year interval. In conjunction with the sampling, a method was developed for quantifying statistical uncertainty in the estimates of annual transport. The discharge-weighted mean concentration of total suspended solids in the Orinoco River is 80 mg/l, which corresponds to total annual transport of 90 × 10⁶ t/y, or, expressed per unit of watershed area, 960 kg/ha/y, of which 96% is inorganic. The mean for dissolved solids is 34 mg/l, of which 25 mg/l is inorganic. The total transport of inorganic material, with a small allowance for bedload, is 128 × 10⁶ t/y, which corresponds to an erosion rate of 4 cm/1000 y. Concentrations of dissolved and suspended constituents derived from rock weathering are very low because of dilution from high runoff (1190 mm/y), coverage of the southern part of the drainage by shield rock, and minimal watershed disturbance. Seasonal patterns in dissolved and suspended constituents are repeated with a high degree of consistency from one year to the next. For most variables, relationships between transport and discharge are described adequately by a power function. There are three categories of response to changing discharge: purging (exponent > 1: soluble organic fractions and all particulate fractions), dilution (exponent 0–1: major ionic solids and silicon), and conservation (exponent < 0: nitrate, interannual). Variability across seasons and across years is highest for the particulate constituents, but within this group variability is lower for the organic than for the inorganic components. Major ions that originate primarily from the atmosphere have a higher seasonal variability than major ions that originate primarily from weathering. Potassium and soluble silicon have the lowest variabilities. Variability is much lower across years than across seasons for most constituents. Because of high runoff per unit area, the Orinoco drainage has a high specific transport of organic carbon (72 kg/ha/y, 6.8 × 10⁶ t/y, 1.6% of global river transport), even though the concentrations of organic carbon in the river are not exceptionally high (mean, 4.4 mg/l dissolved, 1.4 mg/l particulate). Concentrations of ammonium (35 μg/l as N) and of nitrate (80 μg/l as N) are high given the undisturbed nature of the watershed and the high amount of runoff. The high transport rate for total nitrogen (5.7 kg/ha/y, 0.54 × 10⁶ t/y, l.5% of global river transport) can be sustained only by high rates of nitrogen fixation within the watershed. Concentrations of soluble phosphorus are within the range expected for undisturbed river systems (20 μg/l), but concentrations of particulate phosphorus are low because the amounts of particulate matter are small and the phosphorus per unit weight of suspended matter is low. Phosphorus transport (0.75 kg/ha/y) can be accounted for easily by weathering of the parent material, even within the Guayana Shield, where weathering rates are lowest. Biological modification of nutrient and carbon fractions during transit along the main stem are minimal.     

Site fidelity, home range, and tidal migrations of juvenile pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides, in salt marsh creeks

We conducted a series of experiments to determine the movements and fidelity of juvenile pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides, in salt marsh creeks within North Inlet Estuary, SC. In Experiment 1, we investigated the fidelity of pinfish (40–100mm SL) at four subtidal locations (9–617m apart) along the axis of a major creek. We trapped and marked 2,297 individuals and recaptured 15–22% of the fishes released at each site, almost all of which (99.7%) had been marked at the same location of recapture up to 3 months earlier. In Experiment 2, we investigated pinfish movements between subtidal and intertidal areas. In the 8 weeks prior to sampling 2 intertidal creeks, we marked 950 juveniles in the adjacent subtidal areas. Sampling of the 2 flooded intertidal creeks showed that 9–20% of the pinfish collected bore marks, and all had been previously marked at the subtidal site immediately adjacent to the intertidal creek. Gut analysis of 60 individuals revealed that juveniles collected from the intertidal areas at high tide had consumed about ten times more food than those collected at the subtidal sites at low tide. In Experiment 3, we determined the fidelity of recently settled pinfish (<35mm SL) and showed that 15% of the 434 marked pinfish remained in the same area; some were at liberty up to 7 weeks. In Experiment 4, we determined home range by tagging and recapturing juvenile pinfish at sites separated by 20m along a 200m subtidal transect. We estimated that during periods when the intertidal zone was not accessible, the average home range was 9.4m with only 10% of tagged fish moving greater than 20m during the 4 month study. Our results indicate that soon after recruitment to the estuary, pinfish establish strong fidelity for sites within salt marsh creeks and exhibit tidal periodicity in both movements and feeding.     

Fluxes of dissolved organic carbon,other nutrients and microbial communities in a water-filled treehole ecosystem

Water-filled treeholes are temporally and spatially variable habitats that consist of communities of a limited number of insect orders, namely dipterans and beetles. Since these systems are largely heterotrophic, treeholes are dependent on the surrounding terrestrial ecosystem for their basal energy input. In this study, we observed a cyclic succession of three system states in a water-filled Fagus grandifolia treehole: ‘connected’ during rainfall; ‘isolated’ during periods without rain; and ‘dry’ when no freestanding water was present. During the isolated phase, a rapid, microbially mediated turn-over of nitrogen and sulphate took place, coincident with an accumulation of orthophosphate. Ammonium was the dominant form of nitrogen in the treehole water, and a net decrease in its concentration was observed when the water volume decreased. Normally, nitrate concentration showed only minor fluctuations (0.3–1.3 mg l⁻¹) and concentrations of nitrite were very low (3–18 μg l⁻¹). Concentration of sulphate showed a net decrease, coincident with an increase in sulphide. During the connected phase, the effect of stemflow and throughfall on the nutrient concentrations in the treehole water proved to be variable. Over time, both dilution of, and increase in, treehole water nutrient concentrations were observed. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration showed a net decrease during the isolated phase. Spring coarse particulate organic matter input into the treehole was variable (0.20–1.74 mg cm⁻² week⁻¹). The observed variability in precipitation inputs as well as fall-in of organic matter underlines the pulsed character of basal energy entering the treehole food-web. DOC concentrations varied mainly with depth (15–57.4 mg l⁻¹) as concentrations were almost three times greater within the detritus than within the water column. Bacterial abundances ranged from 7.3 × 10⁵ to 9.3 × 10⁶ cells ml⁻¹ and did not appear to vary within the water column or in the detrital sediment. Rates of bacterial production increased 24 h after rain events, suggesting that the combined nutrient fluxes due to increased stemflow stimulate the microbial community. Handling editor: J. Cole     

Invasive mussels modify the cycling,storage and distribution of nutrients and carbon in a large lake

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Sulphate,dissolved organic carbon,nutrients and terminal metabolic products in deep pore waters of an intertidal flat

This study addresses deep pore water chemistry in a permeable intertidal sand flat at the NW German coast. Sulphate, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nutrients, and several terminal metabolic products were studied down to 5 m sediment depth. By extending the depth domain to several meters, insights into the functioning of deep sandy tidal flats were gained. Despite the dynamic sedimentological conditions in the study area, the general depth profiles obtained in the relatively young intertidal flat sediments of some metres depth are comparable to those determined in deep marine surface sediments. Besides diffusion and lithology which control pore water profiles in most marine surface sediments, biogeochemical processes are influenced by advection in the studied permeable intertidal flat sediments. This is supported by the model setup in which advection has to be implemented to reproduce pore water profiles. Water exchange at the sediment surface and in deeper sediment layers converts these permeable intertidal sediments into a “bio-reactor” where organic matter is recycled, and nutrients and DOC are released. At tidal flat margins, a hydraulic gradient is generated, which leads to water flow towards the creekbank. Deep nutrient-rich pore waters escaping at tidal flat margins during low tide presumably form a source of nutrients for the overlying water column in the study area. Significant correlations between the inorganic products of terminal metabolism (NH₄ ⁺ and PO₄ ³⁻) and sulphate depletion suggest sulphate reduction to be the dominant pathway of anaerobic carbon remineralisation. Pore water concentrations of sulphate, ammonium, and phosphate were used to elucidate the composition of organic matter degraded in the sediment. Calculated C:N and C:P ratios were supported by model results.     

Radial and vertical variation of wood nutrients in Bornean tropical forest trees

Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium concentrations in woody tissue are poorly documented, but are necessary for understanding whole-tree nutrient use and storage. Here, we report how wood macronutrient concentrations vary radially and along the length of a tree for 10 tropical tree species in Sabah, Malaysia. Bark nutrient concentrations were consistently high: 2.9–13.7 times greater than heartwood depending on the nutrient. In contrast, within the wood both the radial (sapwood vs. heartwood) and vertical (trunk bottom vs. trunk middle) variation was modest. Higher concentrations in sapwood relative to heartwood provide empirical support for wood nutrient resorption during sapwood senescence. Dipterocarp species showed resorption rates of 25.3 ± 7.1% (nitrogen), 62.7 ± 11.9% (phosphorus), and 56.2 ± 12.5% (potassium), respectively, while non-dipterocarp species showed no evidence of nutrient resorption in wood. This suggests that while dipterocarps have lower wood nutrient concentrations, this family is able to compensate for this by using wood nutrient resorption as an efficient nutrient conservation mechanism. In contrast to other nutrients, calcium and magnesium tended to accumulate in heartwood. Wood density (WD) showed little vertical variation along the trunk. Across the species (WD range of 0.33 to 0.94 mg/cm³), WD was negatively correlated with wood P and K concentration and positively correlated with wood Ca concentration. As our study showed exceptionally high nutrient concentrations in the bark, debarking and leaving the bark of the harvested trees on site during logging operations could substantially contribute to maintaining nutrients within forest ecosystems.     

Fluorescence characterization and microbial degradation of dissolved organic matter leached from salt marsh plants in the Yellow River Delta

盐沼植被是沿海水体中溶解有机物(Dissolved Organic Matter, DOM)的重要贡献者。然而,不同盐沼植物释放DOM的动力学特征尚缺乏系统研究和比较。黄河三角洲湿地是中国东海岸面积最大,保护最完善的沿海生态系统之一。本论文研究了2016年10月从黄河三角洲(Yellow River Delta, YRD)盐沼中采集的三种常见沼泽植物(芦苇(Phragmites australis),碱蓬(Suaeda salsa)和獐茅(Aeluropus littoralis)的DOM释放过程。通过测定溶解有机碳(Dissolved Organic Carbon, DOC)和溶解氮(Dissolved Nitrogen, DN)发现,植物叶片释放的DOM浓度远高于其根和茎。在27天的培养期内,平均有15%的生物碳和30%的生物氮以DOC和DN的形式通过植物叶片释放。从植物中释放的DOM非常不稳定,在27天的培养期内,细菌共消耗了92.4%–98.1%的DOC和88.0%–94.6%的DN。植物释放DOM的荧光特性表明,发色溶解的有机物(Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter, CDOM)是DOM的主要组分,而类蛋白组分是植物释放CDOM的主要组分。细菌的降解作用改变了DOM的荧光性质和化学组成。上述的室内研究结果得到了实地调查的充分支撑,表明在深秋时期黄河口湿地有大量DOM溢出。本研究结果表明,盐沼植物释放的DOM是沼泽和沿海水域DOC和DN的重要来源,而且易降解DOC和DN为黄河口湿地和邻近沿海水域中的微生物群落提供了重要的食物来源。     

盐度和淹水对长江口潮滩盐沼植物碳储量的影响

盐生植物是盐沼有机碳储存的"临时库",也是土壤有机碳累积的主要来源,其碳储量大小对盐沼生态系统"碳汇"功能的发挥十分重要。以长江口潮滩本地种芦苇(Phragmites australis)和海三棱藨草(Scirpus mariqueter),及入侵种互花米草(Spartina alterniflora)为研究对象,采用单因素盆栽实验,模拟分析淹水盐度(0、5、10、15、25和35)、淹水深度(0、10、20、40、60cm和80cm)和淹水频率(每天、每3天、每7天、每10天和每15天)变化对各盐生植物地上、地下和总体碳储量大小的影响。研究结果表明,随着淹水盐度增加,芦苇、互花米草和海三棱藨草地上部分与总体碳储量均显著降低。土壤盐度可分别解释其地上部分碳储量变异的47.2%、66.5%和72.7%,与总体碳储量变异的34.7%、45.0%和62.0%。随着淹水深度增加,芦苇地上部分、总体碳储量和海三棱藨草地上部分碳储量均显著降低,其变异的68.6%、28.5%和71.1%可由淹水深度变化(10—80cm)解释。互花米草在80cm淹水深度下仍有较高的地上部分碳储量和总体碳储量。3种盐生植物碳储量对淹水频率变化的响应差异均不显著,所有处理地下部分碳储量差异也未达到显著水平。总体而言,互花米草对水盐胁迫的耐受性要强于本地种芦苇和海三棱藨草。尽管互花米草和芦苇具有相对较高的碳储量,但水盐胁迫对其碳储量的显著抑制作用不容忽视。海三棱藨草碳储量本就不高,输入土壤的有机碳量较为有限,海平面上升及盐水入侵等逆境胁迫会使其对盐沼"碳汇"贡献更加微弱。     

Empirical models for predicting the excretion of nutrients (N and P) by aquatic metazoans: taxonomic differences in rates and element ratios

1. We developed empirical models for predicting the release of nutrients [nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)] by aquatic metazoans (zooplankton, mussels, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish). 2. The number of species represented in each model ranged from 9 to 74 (n = 40 – 1122), organism dry mass from 1 × 10^?5 to 8 × 10⁴ mg and water temperature from ?1.8 to 32 °C for all models. Organisms were from marine and freshwater (both lotic and lentic) environments. 3. Rates and ratios of nutrient excretion were modelled and intra‐ and intertaxon differences in excretion were examined. Rates of N and P excretion were not significantly different between marine and freshwater species within the same taxon (e.g. zooplankton). However, rates of excretion (as a function of organism dry mass and water temperature) were significantly different among different orders of zooplankton, mussels and fish. However, excretion of N was similar among different orders of benthic macroinvertebrates. 4. Detritivorous fish excreted both N and P at rates greater than all other taxa; whereas mussels excreted N and P generally at rates less than other taxa. There were no significant differences in the rate of N and P excretion between zooplankton and fish (i.e. the allometry of N and P excretion was similar between zooplankton and fish). 5. Molar N : P ratios of nutrients excreted increased with increasing organism dry mass for each group of metazoans, except for zooplankton and detritivorous fish (where N : P ratios declined with increasing organism dry mass). Molar N : P ratios in the excretions of aquatic metazoans were generally below the Redfield ratio of 16:1. 6. We examined the influence of variable abundance of zooplankton, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish on assemblage excretion rates. Rates of N and P excretion were calculated by applying our models to metazoan biomass and abundance data over seven consecutive years in two oligotrophic lakes. Rates of N and P excretion (g ha^?1 day^?1) increased linearly with increasing assemblage biomass (kg ha^?1). However, rates of N and P excretion were significantly and negatively correlated with the relative abundance of fish and positively correlated with the relative abundance of zooplankton.     

闽江口芦苇与短叶茳芏湿地土壤无机硫形态分布特征及其影响因素

选择闽江口鳝鱼滩的芦苇湿地、短叶茳芏湿地以及二者交错带湿地为对象,研究了不同类型湿地土壤无机硫赋存形态的分布特征及其主要影响因素。结果表明,芦苇与短叶茳芏在空间扩展过程中形成的交错带湿地土壤的水溶性硫(H_2O-S)、吸附性硫(Adsorbed-S)和盐酸可溶性硫(HCl-Soluble-S)含量在0—40 cm土层上整体要高于芦苇湿地和短叶茳芏湿地,而盐酸挥发性硫(HCl-Volatile-S)含量则与之相反。在垂直方向上,不同类型湿地土壤的H_2O-S、Adsorbed-S和HCl-Soluble-S含量整体均自表层向下呈先降低而后增加的变化,而盐酸挥发性硫(HCl-Volatile-S)含量则与之相反。3种类型湿地土壤中不同形态无机硫平均含量整体均表现为HCl-Soluble-S H_2O-S Adsorbed-S HCl-Volatile-S,且其总无机硫(TIS)平均含量分别占全硫(TS)含量的22.29%—39.99%(芦苇湿地)、32.39%—33.33%(交错带湿地)和30.20%—30.86%(短叶茳芏湿地)。与芦苇湿地和短叶茳芏湿地相比,交错带湿地土壤的H_2O-S、Adsorbed-S、HCl-Soluble-S和TIS平均含量整体均呈增加趋势,增幅分别为36.94%和54.31%、34.84%和13.03%、73.25%和67.59%以及45.72%和45.28%;与之不同,HCl-Volatile-S平均含量则呈降低趋势,降幅分别为2.78%和22.24%。不同类型湿地土壤中H_2O-S、Adsorbed-S和TIS含量的变化主要受有机质含量和细颗粒组成的控制,而HCl-Soluble-S和HCl-Volatile-S含量主要受土壤氧化还原环境和金属元素分布的影响。研究发现,芦苇与短叶茳芏的空间扩展明显增加了交错带湿地土壤的H_2O-S、Adsorbed-S、HCl-Soluble-S和TIS含量,但降低了HCl-Volatile-S含量,说明二者的空间扩展在整体提高交错带湿地土壤有效硫供给能力的同时,亦降低了挥发性硫化物可能对二者生长产生的不利影响,这对于保持二者在交错带湿地中的竞争力具有重要生态意义。     

Fungal contributions to carbon flow and nutrient cycling during decomposition of standing Typha domingensis leaves in a subtropical freshwater marsh

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Effect of dissolved organic carbon quality on microbial decomposition and nitrification rates in stream sediments

1. Microbial decomposition of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) contributes to overall stream metabolism and can influence many processes in the nitrogen cycle, including nitrification. Little is known, however, about the relative decomposition rates of different DOC sources and their subsequent effect on nitrification. 2. In this study, labile fraction and overall microbial decomposition of DOC were measured for leaf leachates from 18 temperate forest tree species. Between 61 and 82% (mean, 75%) of the DOC was metabolized in 24 days. Significant differences among leachates were found for labile fraction rates (P < 0.0001) but not for overall rates (P=0.088). 3. Nitrification rates in stream sediments were determined after addition of 10 mg C L^–1 of each leachate. Nitrification rates ranged from below detection to 0.49 μg N mL sediment^–1 day^–1 and were significantly correlated with two independent measures of leachate DOC quality, overall microbial decomposition rate (r=–0.594, P=0.0093) and specific ultraviolet absorbance (r=0.469, P=0.0497). Both correlations suggest that nitrification rates were lower in the presence of higher quality carbon. 4. Nitrification rates in sediments also were measured after additions of four leachates and glucose at three carbon concentrations (10, 30, and 50 mg C L^–1). For all carbon sources, nitrification rates decreased as carbon concentration increased. Glucose and white pine leachate most strongly depressed nitrification. Glucose likely increased the metabolism of heterotrophic bacteria, which then out‐competed nitrifying bacteria for NH₄⁺. White pine leachate probably increased heterotrophic metabolism and directly inhibited nitrification by allelopathy.     

Leaf litter breakdown budgets in streams of various trophic status: effects of dissolved inorganic nutrients on microorganisms and invertebrates

1. We investigated the effect of trophic status on the organic matter budget in freshwater ecosystems. During leaf litter breakdown, the relative contribution of the functional groups and the quantity/quality of organic matter available to higher trophic levels are expected to be modified by the anthropogenic release of nutrients. 2. Carbon budgets were established during the breakdown of alder leaves enclosed in coarse mesh bags and submerged in six streams: two oligotrophic, one mesotrophic, two eutrophic and one hypertrophic streams. Nitrate concentrations were 4.5–6.7 mg L⁻¹ and the trophic status of each stream was defined by the soluble reactive phosphorus concentration ranging from 3.4 (oligotrophic) to 89 μg L⁻¹ (hypertrophic). An ammonium gradient paralleled the phosphate gradient with mean concentrations ranging from 1.4 to 560 μg L⁻¹ NH₄‐N. The corresponding unionised ammonia concentrations ranged from 0.08 to 19 μg L⁻¹ NH₃‐N over the six streams. 3. The dominant shredder taxa were different in the oligo‐, meso‐ and eutrophic streams. No shredders were observed in the hypertrophic stream. These changes may be accounted for by the gradual increase in the concentration of ammonia over the six streams. The shredder biomass dramatically decreased in eu‐ and hypertrophic streams compared with oligo‐ and mesotrophic. 4. Fungal biomass increased threefold from the most oligotrophic to the less eutrophic stream and decreased in the most eutrophic and the hypertrophic. Bacterial biomass increased twofold from the most oligotrophic to the hypertrophic stream. Along the trophic gradient, the microbial CO₂ production followed that of microbial biomass whereas the microbial fine particulate organic matter and net dissolved organic carbon (DOC) did not consistently vary. These results indicate that the microorganisms utilised the substrate and the DOC differently in streams of various trophic statuses. 5. In streams receiving various anthropogenic inputs, the relative contribution of the functional groups to leaf mass loss varied extensively as a result of stimulation and the deleterious effects of dissolved inorganic compounds. The quality/quantity of the organic matter produced by microorganisms slightly varied, as they use DOC from stream water instead of the substrate they decompose in streams of higher trophic status.     

Impact of sampling methods on sulfate reduction rates and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in vegetated salt marsh sediments

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