Release of Nutrients and Organic Matter from River Floodplain Habitats: Simulating Seasonal Inundation Dynamics

Ostojić, Ana; Rosado, Joana; Miliša, Marko; Morais, Manuela; Tockner, Klement

doi:10.1007/s13157-013-0442-9

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…The floodplain itself may be a source of nutrients for the lakes. In river floodplains, leaf litter, vegetation, and sediment are capable of providing important nutrients and organic matter to adjacent aquatic systems (Fisher and Likens 1973;Cuffney 1988;Ostojić et al 2013) and are an essential part of nutrient cycling in river floodplain systems (Baldwin 1999;Inglett et al 2008). Although highly connected lakes inundate their surrounding terrestrial zone during times of peak river flow, nutrients that do enter the lakes have greater potential to be diluted or flushed out of the lakes by nutrient-poor river water.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of hydrological connectivity on winter limnology in floodplain lakes of the Saskatchewan River Delta, Saskatchewan

MacKinnon

Sagin

Baulch

et al. 2016

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

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Globally, hydrological connectivity between rivers and their floodplains has been reduced by river flow management and land transformation. The Saskatchewan River Delta is North America's largest inland delta and a hub for fish and fur production. To determine the influence of connectivity on limnology within this northern floodplain, water chemistry and stable isotopes (␦ 18 O and ␦ 2 H) were analyzed during the winter of 2014 in 26 shallow lakes along a hydrological gradient. A total of five lake connectivity categories were determined by optical remote sensing imagary of surface water coverage area from years of varying flood intensities. Accuracy of categories was verified by degree of 18 O and 2 H enrichment within lakes. Both isotopes showed marked successional enrichment between connectivity categories, with more isolated lakes exhibiting greater enrichment. Water chemistry in lakes with greater connectivity to the main channel were characterized by higher pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, and sulfates and lower total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and ammonium compared with more isolated lakes. These findings illustrate how connectivity influences water chemistry in northern floodplain lakes and how it might determine the suitability of these lakes as winter refuge for fishes. Additionally, our study provides supporting evidence for the effective use of optical remote sensing imagery, an inexpensive and accessible source of data for researchers, when determining connectivity characteristics of large northern floodplain systems. Additionally, this study provides further evidence that the inundation of floodplain lakes by river water during peak discharge has an impact on the conditions within the lakes long into the winter ice-cover season. Understanding the year-round influence of river-floodplain connection is imperative for assessing potential impacts of climate change and future water regulation on such ecosystems.Résumé : À l'échelle planétaire, la gestion des débits des rivières et la transformation du territoire ont entraîné une diminution de la connectivité hydrologique entre les rivières et les plaines inondables. Le delta de la rivière Saskatchewan est le plus grand delta intérieur d'Amérique du Nord et une plaque tournante pour la production de poissons et de fourrures. Afin de déterminer l'influence de la connectivité sur la limnologie dans cette plaine inondable septentrionale, la chimie de l'eau et ses isotopes stables (␦ 18 O et ␦ 2 H) ont été analysés durant l'hiver 2014 dans 26 lacs peu profonds le long d'un gradient hydrologique. Cinq catégories de connectivité des lacs ont été établies au total sur la base d'images optiques de télédétection des aires recouvertes par les eaux de surface pour des années caractérisées par différentes intensités des crues. L'exactitude des catégories a été vérifiée à la lumière du degré d'enrichissement en 18

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of hydrological connectivity on winter limnology in floodplain lakes of the Saskatchewan River Delta, Saskatchewan

MacKinnon

Sagin

Baulch

et al. 2016

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

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“…Likewise, leaching from rewetted sediments of IRES releases large amounts of inorganic nitrogen (e.g. Arce, Sánchez‐Montoya, Vidal‐Abarca, Suárez, & Gómez, ; Merbt, Proia, Prosser, Casamayor, & von Schiller, ; Ostojic, Rosado, Miliša, Morais, & Tockner, ; Tzoraki, Nikolaidis, Amaxidis, & Skoulikidis, ). Furthermore, riverbeds can be covered by biofilm mats (hereafter referred to as “biofilm”), composed of microorganisms (algae, bacteria, fungi) embedded in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (Sabater, Timoner, Borrego, & Acuña, ), whose remnants can often be seen even during the dry phase.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulating rewetting events in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams: A global analysis of leached nutrients and organic matter

Shumilova

Zak

Datry

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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Climate change and human pressures are changing the global distribution and the extent of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES), which comprise half of the global river network area. IRES are characterized by periods of flow cessation, during which channel substrates accumulate and undergo physico‐chemical changes (preconditioning), and periods of flow resumption, when these substrates are rewetted and release pulses of dissolved nutrients and organic matter (OM). However, there are no estimates of the amounts and quality of leached substances, nor is there information on the underlying environmental constraints operating at the global scale. We experimentally simulated, under standard laboratory conditions, rewetting of leaves, riverbed sediments, and epilithic biofilms collected during the dry phase across 205 IRES from five major climate zones. We determined the amounts and qualitative characteristics of the leached nutrients and OM, and estimated their areal fluxes from riverbeds. In addition, we evaluated the variance in leachate characteristics in relation to selected environmental variables and substrate characteristics. We found that sediments, due to their large quantities within riverbeds, contribute most to the overall flux of dissolved substances during rewetting events (56%–98%), and that flux rates distinctly differ among climate zones. Dissolved organic carbon, phenolics, and nitrate contributed most to the areal fluxes. The largest amounts of leached substances were found in the continental climate zone, coinciding with the lowest potential bioavailability of the leached OM. The opposite pattern was found in the arid zone. Environmental variables expected to be modified under climate change (i.e. potential evapotranspiration, aridity, dry period duration, land use) were correlated with the amount of leached substances, with the strongest relationship found for sediments. These results show that the role of IRES should be accounted for in global biogeochemical cycles, especially because prevalence of IRES will increase due to increasing severity of drying events.

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“…Riparian habitat is defined by its close relationship to water (Gregory et al 1991), often with greater air and soil moisture near the stream edge than in the forest interior (Brosofske et al 1997, Naiman and D ecamps 1997, Rykken et al 2007a. Riparian soils may also contain higher levels of nutrients than upland habitat (Peterson and Rolfe 1982, Shure et al 1986, Ettema et al 1999, Ostoji c et al 2013, which can occur due to overbank flooding and the close proximity of riparian soils to groundwater (Hedin et al 1998). Mass loss rates have been shown to be faster in riparian vs. upland habitat (Merritt and Lawson 1980, Peterson and Rolfe 1982, Shure et al 1986, Malanson 1993 and are thought to be driven by higher moisture availability, physical abrasion due to flooding, and microbial activity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental test of water, nutrients, and microclimate on leaf litter mass loss in headwater riparian forests

Ramey

Richardson

2018

Ecosphere

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Leaf litter decomposition is an essential function in forest ecosystems, and riparian areas may contribute to faster rates of litter mass loss due to higher moisture and nutrient levels in riparian than upland soils. We experimentally tested whether mass loss of red alder leaf litter was (1) greater closer to the stream than further away and (2) increased by nutrient and water additions in riparian habitat near four headwater streams in southwestern British Columbia. We set up blocks of nine transects extending from the bankfull edge of the stream into upland habitat. Leaf litter bags were placed at 1, 5, 10, 20, and 40 m from the stream along each transect, and data loggers recorded ambient air temperature and relative humidity at each distance. Litterbags received either water or fertilizer additions, both, or neither along each transect. Four trials were run which varied in duration (3 months to 1 yr). Relative humidity was on average 2.6% higher, air temperature 0.25°C lower, and vapor pressure deficit 0.14 kPa lower at 1 m from the stream compared to distances further upland. The addition of water significantly increased litter mass loss by 0.14 g (4%) on average than control litterbags. The addition of fertilizer was a significant factor in some trials but not in others, and its effect on mass loss varied. Although distance from the stream was not a significant parameter in the averaged models for each trial, it was in several top models. We conclude that (1) riparian communities within 1 m of the stream experience a different microclimate during the warmer, drier summer than those communities further upland, though this was not generally reflected in alder mass loss rates, and (2) water was a primary limiting factor to alder leaf mass loss in our study sites.

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Release of Nutrients and Organic Matter from River Floodplain Habitats: Simulating Seasonal Inundation Dynamics

Cited by 10 publications

References 56 publications

Influence of hydrological connectivity on winter limnology in floodplain lakes of the Saskatchewan River Delta, Saskatchewan

Influence of hydrological connectivity on winter limnology in floodplain lakes of the Saskatchewan River Delta, Saskatchewan

Simulating rewetting events in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams: A global analysis of leached nutrients and organic matter

Experimental test of water, nutrients, and microclimate on leaf litter mass loss in headwater riparian forests

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