Cyanobacteria as a trigger for increased primary productivity during sapropel formation in the Baltic Sea—a study of the Ancylus/Litorina transition

Borgendahl, Johanna; Westman, Per

doi:10.1007/s10933-006-9055-0

Cited by 22 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Enhanced growth of cyanobacteria capable of biological nitrogen fixation is a plausible explanation for low δ 15 N values, a scenario which has been suggested for numerous settings (Sachs and Repeta, 1999;Kuypers et al, 2004;Blumenberg et al, 2009), including the Baltic Sea (Bianchi et al, 2000;Voss et al, 2001;Voss, 2005). The increasing importance of nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria after the Littorina Sea transgression is demonstrated by enhanced occurrences of cyanobacterial carotenoid pigments and molybdenum, which is an essential micronutrient to facilitate nitrogen fixation (Poutanen and Nikkila, 2001;Kunzendorf et al, 2001;Borgendahl et al, 2007). Today, cyanobacteria contribute about 45 % to the bulk sedimentary nitrogen (Struck et al, 2004).…”

Section: Biogeochemical Changes In the Holocene As Reflected By Bulk mentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Sohlenius et al, 1996;Bianchi et al, 2000;Brenner, 2001Brenner, , 2005Voss et al, 2001). As a result of the Littorina Sea transgression, marine diatoms and dinoflagellates entered the central Baltic Sea (Brenner, 2005), and cyanobacteria became increasingly important as indicated by pigment and molybdenum abundances (Bianchi et al, 2000;Kunzendorf et al, 2001;Poutanen and Nikkila, 2001;Borgendahl and Westman, 2007). Due to the lack of preservable cell remnants, however, information about the microbial protagonists of biogeochemical cycling in the changeful history of the central Baltic Sea is scarce.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Bacteriohopanepolyols record stratification, nitrogen fixation and other biogeochemical perturbations in Holocene sediments of the central Baltic Sea

Blumenberg¹,

Berndmeyer²,

Moros

et al. 2013

Biogeosciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Baltic Sea, one of the world's largest brackish-marine basins, established after deglaciation of Scandinavia about 17 000 to 15 000 yr ago. In the changeable history of the Baltic Sea, the initial freshwater system was connected to the North Sea about 8000 yr ago and the modern brackish-marine setting (Littorina Sea) was established. Today, a relatively stable stratification has developed in the water column of the deep basins due to salinity differences. Stratification is only occasionally interrupted by mixing events, and it controls nutrient availability and growth of specifically adapted microorganisms and algae. We studied bacteriohopanepolyols (BHPs), lipids of specific bacterial groups, in a sediment core from the central Baltic Sea (Gotland Deep) and found considerable differences between the distinct stages of the Baltic Sea's history. Some individual BHP structures indicate contributions from as yet unknown redoxcline-specific bacteria (bacteriohopanetetrol isomer), methanotrophic bacteria (35-aminobacteriohopanetetrol), cyanobacteria (bacteriohopanetetrol cyclitol ether isomer) and from soil bacteria (adenosylhopane) through allochthonous input after the Littorina transgression, whereas the origin of other BHPs in the core has still to be identified. Notably high BHP abundances were observed in the deposits of the brackish-marine Littorina phase, particularly in laminated sediment layers. Because these sediments record periods of stable water column stratification, bacteria specifically adapted to these conditions may account for the high portions of BHPs. An additional and/or accompanying source may be nitrogen-fixing (cyano)bacteria, which is indicated by a positive correlation of BHP abundances with C_org and δ¹⁵N

show abstract

Section: Biogeochemical Changes In the Holocene As Reflected By Bulk mentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacteriohopanepolyols record stratification, nitrogen fixation and other biogeochemical perturbations in Holocene sediments of the central Baltic Sea

Blumenberg¹,

Berndmeyer²,

Moros

et al. 2013

Biogeosciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…4b and 5b). The AL-LS transition did not happen instantly (Borgendahl and Westman, 2007;Emeis et al, 1998;Gustafsson and Westman, 2002;Hyvarinen, 1984), and the sediment intervals showing a brackishlike distribution of the HGs probably correspond to weak pulses of marine water that might have occasionally entered the basin already during the Ancylus Lake transitional phase II and consequently influenced the overall distribution of the HGs (Fig. 4b).…”

Section: The Ancylus Lake Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies, based on fossil pigment and other paleoproxy records, suggest that cHABs have been recurring throughout the entire Holocene simultaneously with anoxic events and thus should be considered a natural feature of the basin rather than a consequence of human impact (Bianchi et al, 2000;Borgendahl and Westman, 2007;Funkey et al, 2014;Poutanen and Nikkilä, 2001). SST has been suggested to have played an important role in these events (Kabel Warden, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Holocene sedimentary record of cyanobacterial glycolipids in the Baltic Sea: an evaluation of their application as tracers of past nitrogen fixation

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Heterocyst glycolipids (HGs) are lipids exclusively produced by heterocystous dinitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria. The Baltic Sea is an ideal environment to study the distribution of HGs and test their potential as biomarkers because of its recurring summer phytoplankton blooms, dominated by a few heterocystous cyanobacterial species of the genera Nodularia and Aphanizomenon. A multi-core and a gravity core from the Gotland Basin were analyzed to determine the abundance and distribution of a suite of selected HGs at a high resolution to investigate the changes in past cyanobacterial communities during the Holocene. The HG distribution of the sediments deposited during the Modern Warm Period (MoWP) was compared with those of cultivated heterocystous cyanobacteria, including those isolated from Baltic Sea waters, revealing high similarity. However, the abundance of HGs dropped substantially with depth, and this may be caused by either a decrease in the occurrence of the cyanobacterial blooms or diagenesis, resulting in partial destruction of the HGs. The record also shows that the HG distribution has remained stable since the Baltic turned into a brackish semi-enclosed basin ∼ 7200 cal. yr BP. This suggests that the heterocystous cyanobacterial species composition remained relatively stable as well. During the earlier freshwater phase of the Baltic (i.e., the Ancylus Lake and Yoldia Sea phases), the distribution of the HGs varied much more than in the subsequent brackish phase, and the absolute abundance of HGs was much lower than during the brackish phase. This suggests that the cyanobacterial community adjusted to the different environmental conditions in the basin. Our results confirm the potential of HGs as a specific biomarker of heterocystous cyanobacteria in paleo-environmental studies.

show abstract

“…1). Radiocarbon dating and analysis of diatom microfossils on selected samples of the core were performed by Borgendahl and Westman (2007 , Table 1). Samples were taken from the center of the cleaned core ±0.5 cm from the given depth.…”

Section: Samples and Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Iron isotope variations in Holocene sediments of the Gotland Deep, Baltic Sea

Fehr

Andersson

Hålenius

et al. 2008

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cyanobacteria as a trigger for increased primary productivity during sapropel formation in the Baltic Sea—a study of the Ancylus/Litorina transition

Cited by 22 publications

References 51 publications

Bacteriohopanepolyols record stratification, nitrogen fixation and other biogeochemical perturbations in Holocene sediments of the central Baltic Sea

Bacteriohopanepolyols record stratification, nitrogen fixation and other biogeochemical perturbations in Holocene sediments of the central Baltic Sea

The Holocene sedimentary record of cyanobacterial glycolipids in the Baltic Sea: an evaluation of their application as tracers of past nitrogen fixation

Iron isotope variations in Holocene sediments of the Gotland Deep, Baltic Sea

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About