Denitrification, nitrogen fixation, community primary productivity and inorganic-N and oxygen fluxes in an intertidal Zostera noltii meadow

Welsh, David T.; Bartoli, Marco; Nizzoli, Daniele; Castaldelli, Giuseppe; Riou, Stéphane; Viaroli, Pierluigi

doi:10.3354/meps208065

Cited by 139 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Rapid NO 3 influx at night suggests that the autotrophs in Z. japonica habitats maintain high levels of reducing power generated during the day. Welsh et al (2000) suggested that dark nutrient uptake in intertidal seagrasses represents an adaptation to decoupled light and nutrient availability in estuaries with semidiurnal tidal regimes, such as Yaquina Bay. Water column nutrients are unavailable during daylight low tides in these estuaries, and intertidal seagrasses must store photosynthetic reducing power to assimilate nutrients during the following high tide, when light may not be available.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seagrasses are major sinks and sources of dissolved nutrients in mesohaline and marine estuary zones (Pérez-Lloréns et al 1993, Hemminga et al 1994, Risgaard-Petersen et al 1998, Hansen et al 2000, Welsh et al 2000. The dominant role of native seagrasses in nutrient cycling raises the possibility that the establishment of a nonindigenous seagrass would alter nutrient source-sink patterns in the invaded estuary.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of the invasive, nonindigenous seagrass Zostera japonica on nutrient fluxes between the water column and benthos in a NE Pacific estuary

Larned¹

2003

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The effects of Z. japonica on dissolved nutrient fluxes between the water column and the benthos in Yaquina Bay, Oregon, USA were examined. Nutrient fluxes in Zostera japonica habitats were compared to those in adjacent unvegetated sediment in warm and cool seasons, and in daylight and darkness. In daylight, Z. japonica habitats were net sinks for nitrate (NO 3 ), ammonium (NH 4 ) and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) in the warm season, and for NO 3 and DRP in the cool season. At night in the warm season, Z. japonica habitats were net sinks for NO 3 and NH 4 . Unvegetated sediments were net sources of NH 4 to the water column in daylight in both seasons, and net sinks for NO 3 at night in the warm season. On a diel basis, Z. japonica habitats habitats were net sinks for NO 3 and NH 4 , and unvegetated sediments were net sources of NH 4 . Porewater NO 3 and NH 4 concentrations in unvegetated sediments were twice those in Z. japonica habitats. Nutrient fluxes in abutting monospecific patches of Z. japonica and the native seagrass Z. marina were also compared. Both species were sinks for NO 3 , NH 4 and DRP. NO 3 influx rates per unit above-ground biomass were higher in Z. japonica habitats, but areal rates of NO 3 influx were higher in Z. marina habitats, reflecting the latter's higher biomass. The data demonstrate that Z. japonica invasions alter water columnbenthos nutrient fluxes. These alterations may in turn affect pelagic primary production. At current biomass levels, Z. japonica is estimated to remove 50 to 60 mole dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) h -1 and 0.2 to 2.2 mole DRP h -1 from the Yaquina Bay water column, and continued expansion of Z. japonica in the estuary could lead to substantial reductions in nutrient availability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the invasive, nonindigenous seagrass Zostera japonica on nutrient fluxes between the water column and benthos in a NE Pacific estuary

Larned¹

2003

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Atrina and benthic respiration were measured as oxygen consumption in the dark chambers, and benthic gross primary production (GPP) was calculated from the net increase in oxygen in the light relative to dark chambers (e.g. Welsh et al 2000). Values for respiration and GPP were corrected for water-column-only effects measured in the light and dark bottles incubated with the chambers at each site.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benthic nutrient fluxes along an estuarine gradient: influence of the pinnid bivalve Atrina zelandica in summer

Gibbs¹,

Funnell²,

Pickmere³

et al. 2005

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Benthic nutrient fluxes (BNF) can supply 30 to 100% of the nutrient requirements of benthic and pelagic algae in an estuary, and can, thus, potentially sustain benthic and pelagic primary production within the estuarine food web. While BNF can be influenced by microbial processes, epibenthic suspension-feeding bivalves have the potential to alter fluxes by their influence on the community composition of surrounding macrofauna and benthic boundary conditions, and their feeding activities. In Mahurangi Harbour, New Zealand, the large suspension feeding pinnid Atrina zelandica (hereafter referred to as Atrina) occupies large areas of the harbour floor. Consequently, Atrina have the potential to substantially influence the BNF and, thus, primary production, and the food supply to the filter feeding community within the harbour, including the rack-farmed Pacific oyster aquaculture industry. Mahurangi Harbour is almost always isohaline, but exhibits a strong gradient in suspended sediment concentration, which declines from head to mouth. As Atrina increase their rate of pseudofaeces production with increases in suspended sediment concentration, we conducted in situ light and dark paired benthic chamber experiments with and without Atrina at 4 stations along this turbidity gradient, to determine their effect on BNF. Our results showed substantially greater BNF from Atrina beds than bare sediments. We also found greater net BNF (difference between Atrina beds and bare sediment) in the less turbid water under dark conditions, but enhanced water column nutrient supply in the more turbid water in light, due to Atrina excretion of ammoniacal nitrogen . On an areal basis, we estimate that BNF from Atrina beds may account for up to 80% of the nutrient supply for pelagic primary production and, thus, they are of major importance to the sustainability of aquaculture in this harbour. KEY WORDS: Benthic nutrient flux · Benthic chambers · Estuarine turbidity gradient · Atrina zelandica · Microphytobenthos Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 288: [151][152][153][154][155][156][157][158][159][160][161][162][163][164] 2005 important part of the nutrient dynamics of an estuary (e.g. Newell et al. 2002).Bioturbation and grazing pressure by macrofauna can destabilise the sediments (de Deckere et al. 2001), stimulating microbial activity and enhancing denitrification (Gilbert et al. 1998). However, the presence of large benthic animals may also stabilise the sediments, and affect the composition and functioning of macrofaunal communities (Cummings et al. 1998, Ellis et al. 2000, Norkko et al. 2001, Reise 2002. Abundant suspension-feeders may build loose hummocks, multi-species epibenthic thickets or solid reefs, accommodating diverse epibenthic assemblages. Their raised and rough surfaces alter benthic boundary conditions (Green et al. 1998) and, hence, turbulence (Reise 2002), while their biodeposits may enrich the sediments and smother the microphytobenthos. Bel...

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“…In temperate seagrass ecosystems, nitrogen-fixing epiphytes apparently contribute less. About 6.3 to 12% of the nitrogen used by Z. noltii in the Bassin d'Arcachon (France) (Welsh et al 1996(Welsh et al , 2000 and < 5% by Z. marina in Limfjord (Denmark) (McGlathery et al 1998) originated from activities of associated epiphytes. Higher nitrogenase activity values have been reported in seagrass rhizosphere sediments than in nonvegetated sediments (Moriarty 1980, McComb et al 1989, Welsh et al 1996, 2000, McGlathery et al 1998, Hansen et al 2000.…”

Section: Abstract: Nitrogen Fixation · Diazotrophs · Epibenthic · Epmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen fixation by epiphytic and epibenthic diazotrophs associated with seagrass meadows along the Tanzanian coast, Western Indian Ocean

Hamisi

Lyimo²,

Muruke³

et al. 2009

Aquat. Microb. Ecol.

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Denitrification, nitrogen fixation, community primary productivity and inorganic-N and oxygen fluxes in an intertidal Zostera noltii meadow

Cited by 139 publications

References 66 publications

Effects of the invasive, nonindigenous seagrass Zostera japonica on nutrient fluxes between the water column and benthos in a NE Pacific estuary

Effects of the invasive, nonindigenous seagrass Zostera japonica on nutrient fluxes between the water column and benthos in a NE Pacific estuary

Benthic nutrient fluxes along an estuarine gradient: influence of the pinnid bivalve Atrina zelandica in summer

Nitrogen fixation by epiphytic and epibenthic diazotrophs associated with seagrass meadows along the Tanzanian coast, Western Indian Ocean

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