Role of Submerged Macrophytes for the Microbial Community and Dynamics of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Aquatic Ecosystems

Wetzel, Robert G.; Søndergaard, Martin

doi:10.1007/978-1-4612-0695-8_7

Cited by 59 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…The distribution, abundance, and activity of nitrifiers is known to be influenced by their attachment to particles (Prosser 1989), and the surfaces of the dense vegetation and plant litter in the marsh may provide an excellent substratum for microbial colonization, just as epiphytic communities on submersed macrophytes have been demonstrated to be a major source of nitrification in nutrient-rich aquatic environments (Eriksson and Weisner 1999). Several authors have argued that establishment of macrophyte beds, a conspicuous, defining feature of the tidal marsh, should shift the location of greatest algal and bacterial growth from the water column and sediment to benthic plant surfaces because of the multiple advantages associated with an epiphytic biofilm habitat (e.g., Wetzel and Søndergaard 1998). Benthic nitrification may, however, also be enhanced as oxygen-releasing roots of marsh plants provide oxic subsurface microniches in otherwise anoxic sediments in which ammonium-oxidizing bacteria may thrive (Bodelier et al 1996;Gribsholt and N processing in a tidal freshwater marsh Kristensen 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen processing in a tidal freshwater marsh: A whole-ecosystem ¹⁵ N labeling study

Gribsholt

Boschker²,

Struyf

et al. 2005

Limnol. Oceanogr.

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We quantified the fate and transport of watershed-derived ammonium in a tidal freshwater marsh fringing the nutrientrich Scheldt River in a whole-ecosystem 15 N labeling experiment. 15 N-NH was added to the floodwater entering a 3,477 ϩ 4 m 2 tidal marsh area, and marsh ammonium processing and retention were traced in six subsequent tide cycles. We present data for the water phase components of the marsh system, in which changes in concentration and isotopic enrichment of NO , NO , N 2 O, N 2 , NH , and suspended particulate nitrogen (SPN) were measured in concert with a mass balancestudy. Simultaneous addition of a conservative tracer (NaBr) confirmed that tracer was evenly distributed, and the Br Ϫ budget was almost closed (115% recovery). All analyzed dissolved and suspended N pools were labeled, and 31% of added for 30% of 15 N-transformation. In situ whole-ecosystem nitrification rates were four to nine times higher than those in the water column alone, implying a crucial role for the large reactive marsh surface area in N-transformation. Under conditions of low oxygen concentrations and high ammonium availability, nitrifiers produced N 2 O. Our results show that tidal freshwater marshes function not only as nutrient sinks but also as nutrient transformers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen processing in a tidal freshwater marsh: A whole-ecosystem ¹⁵ N labeling study

Gribsholt

Boschker²,

Struyf

et al. 2005

Limnol. Oceanogr.

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“…In large lake ecosystems, the presence of macrophytes provides microhabitats for aquatic organisms (33), enhancing horizontal heterogeneity within the lake. Macrophytes create heterogeneous habitats for bacterioplankton and influence the growth rate, abundance, and activity of bacterioplankton by supplying them with necessary substrates (18,19).…”

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confidence: 99%

Macrophyte Species Drive the Variation of Bacterioplankton Community Composition in a Shallow Freshwater Lake

Zeng

Bian

Xing

et al. 2012

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Macrophytes play an important role in structuring aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we explored whether macrophyte species are involved in determining the bacterioplankton community composition (BCC) in shallow freshwater lakes. The BCC in field areas dominated by different macrophyte species in Taihu Lake, a large, shallow freshwater lake, was investigated over a 1-year period. Subsequently, microcosm experiments were conducted to determine if single species of different types of macrophytes in an isolated environment would alter the BCC. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), followed by cloning and sequence analysis of selected samples, was employed to analyze the BCC. The DGGE results of the field investigations indicated that the BCC changed significantly from season to season and that the presence of different macrophyte species resulted in lower BCC similarities in the summer and fall. LIBSHUFF analysis of selected clone libraries from the summer demonstrated different BCCs in the water column surrounding different macrophytes. Relative to the field observations, the microcosm studies indicated that the BCC differed more pronouncedly when associated with different species of macrophytes, which was also supported by LIBSHUFF analysis of the selected clone libraries. Overall, this study suggested that macrophyte species might be an important factor in determining the composition of bacterial communities in this shallow freshwater lake and that the species-specific influence of macrophytes on BCC is variable with the season and distance.

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“…EPIPHYTON-DWELLING AMMONIA-OXIDIZING BACTERIA 1817 (61). In a recent, qualitative study of the bacterial ammoniaoxidizing community composition that had been conducted in the same system of interconnected shallow freshwater lakes used for the present study, we demonstrated the presence of ␤-AOB on the leaves of submersed macrophytes by means of the PCR-DGGE technique based on the 16S rRNA gene.…”

Section: Vol 76 2010mentioning

confidence: 60%

“…However, when planktonic nitrification rates are integrated over the whole water column, Vincent and Downes (59) demonstrated the impact of the pelagic community on the total nitrification process in lakes. In shallow freshwater lakes populated by large stands of macrophytes, the role of epiphytic nitrification must also be taken into account, since submerged macrophytes can provide a large accessible surface area for attached microorganisms (61). The bacterial ammonia oxidizers inhabiting the epiphytic compartment have been the subject of a limited number of studies.…”

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Quantitative Assessment of Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacterial Communities in the Epiphyton of Submerged Macrophytes in Shallow Lakes

Coci

Nicol

Pilloni

et al. 2010

Appl Environ Microbiol

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In addition to the benthic and pelagic habitats, the epiphytic compartment of submerged macrophytes in shallow freshwater lakes offers a niche to bacterial ammonia-oxidizing communities. However, the diversity, numbers, and activity of epiphytic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria have long been overlooked. In the present study, we analyzed quantitatively the epiphytic communities of three shallow lakes by a potential nitrification assay and by quantitative PCR of 16S rRNA genes. On the basis of the m 2 of the lake surface, the gene copy numbers of epiphytic ammonia oxidizers were not significantly different from those in the benthic and pelagic compartments. The potential ammonia-oxidizing activities measured in the epiphytic compartment were also not significantly different from the activities determined in the benthic compartment. No potential ammoniaoxidizing activities were observed in the pelagic compartment. No activity was detected in the epiphyton of Chara aspera, the dominant submerged macrophyte in Lake Nuldernauw in The Netherlands. The presence of ammonia-oxidizing bacterial cells in the epiphyton of Potamogeton pectinatus was also demonstrated by fluorescent in situ hybridization microscopy images. By comparing the community composition as assessed by the 16S rRNA gene PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis approach, it was concluded that the epiphytic ammonia-oxidizing communities consisted of cells that were also present in the benthic and pelagic compartments. Of the environmental parameters examined, only the water retention time, the Kjeldahl nitrogen content, and the total phosphorus content correlated with potential ammonia-oxidizing activities. None of these parameters correlated with the numbers of gene copies related to ammonia-oxidizing betaproteobacteria.In ammonium-rich environments such as eutrophic lakes, ammonia-oxidizing Betaproteobacteria (␤-AOB) perform the first, often rate-limiting step in the process of nitrification, hence playing an important role in the nitrogen turnover in a wide range of natural and artificial habitats (31). Their monophyletic nature allowed the successful application of molecular techniques based on the genes coding for the 16S rRNA gene and the A subunit of the ammonia monooxygenase enzyme (amoA). ␤-AOB have been considered an ideal model group in molecular microbial ecology (31). The last few decades have seen significantly increased numbers of studies focusing on diversity (7,22,24,44, 48,54) and niche differentiation and related driving factors (8,13,14,30,33,45), as well as on the abilities of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria to cope with contaminants (40, 49, 53), environmental stresses (18, 34, 39), and global change (23,43). The discovery of the process of anaerobic ammonia oxidization (42), together with the isolation of members of the kingdom Crenarchaeota able to oxidize ammonia (26), is currently changing and deepening the knowledge and understanding of the microorganisms involved in the nitrogen cycle.Nitrification in freshwater as well as in shallow ...

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Role of Submerged Macrophytes for the Microbial Community and Dynamics of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Aquatic Ecosystems

Cited by 59 publications

References 58 publications

Nitrogen processing in a tidal freshwater marsh: A whole-ecosystem ¹⁵ N labeling study

Nitrogen processing in a tidal freshwater marsh: A whole-ecosystem ¹⁵ N labeling study

Macrophyte Species Drive the Variation of Bacterioplankton Community Composition in a Shallow Freshwater Lake

Quantitative Assessment of Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacterial Communities in the Epiphyton of Submerged Macrophytes in Shallow Lakes

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Role of Submerged Macrophytes for the Microbial Community and Dynamics of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Aquatic Ecosystems

Cited by 59 publications

References 58 publications

Nitrogen processing in a tidal freshwater marsh: A whole-ecosystem 15 N labeling study

Nitrogen processing in a tidal freshwater marsh: A whole-ecosystem 15 N labeling study

Macrophyte Species Drive the Variation of Bacterioplankton Community Composition in a Shallow Freshwater Lake

Quantitative Assessment of Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacterial Communities in the Epiphyton of Submerged Macrophytes in Shallow Lakes

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Nitrogen processing in a tidal freshwater marsh: A whole-ecosystem ¹⁵ N labeling study

Nitrogen processing in a tidal freshwater marsh: A whole-ecosystem ¹⁵ N labeling study