Vertical Hydrologic Exchange and Ecosystem Metabolism in a Sonoran Desert Stream

Abstract

Hyporheic metabolism in a Sonoran Desert stream was examined, focusing on the sources of detritus supporting hyporheic respiration. Two alternative hypotheses were specifically addressed: (1) organic matter derived from the surface stream supports hyporheic respiration, and (2) detritus buried during flash flood supports hyporheic respiration. As predicted for the surface—derived organic matter hypothesis, respiration was lowest immediately following flash floods and increased significantly with time after flood (P < 0.001). Hyporheic respiration ranged from 0.05 mgO2°L sediments—1°h—1 immediately following a flash flood to as high as 4.41 mgO2°L sediments01°h—1 late in algal succession. Respiration was significantly correlated with surface algal biomass during two spring/summer successional sequences (P < 0.05; partial correlation coefficients 0.58 and 0.88). Respiration was also consistently higher in downwelling than upwelling zones with overall mean rates of 1.12 and 0.46 mgO2°L sediments—1°h—1, respectively. Respiration exhibited a distinct diel pattern with highest rate coinciding with time of maximum photosynthesis and was also significantly correlated with dissolved organic carbon concentration (P < 0.05), further supporting the hypothesis of hyporheic dependence on algal production. Flash floods bury organic matter that is also respired in the hyporheic zone; however, based upon storage of organic carbon immediately following floods, an average of only 15% of the observed respiration could be supported. We conclude that hyporheic respiration in Sycamore Creek is tightly linked to surface production. It is spatially distributed in biotic "hot spots" where surface water enter hyporheic sediments and is most likely supported by organic matter that is supplied as dissolved organic carbon, perhaps from algal production.

Testing the influence of sediment granulometry on heterotrophic respiration with a new laboratory flow-through system

“…flow-through chambers measuring oxygen consumption within the sediments). For example, respiration rates ranged between 0.01 and 0.33 mg O 2 dm −3 h −1 in sediments (8-12-mm fraction) from the hyporheic and phreatic sites along the Flathead River, USA (6 m deep) (Craft et al 2002); were 0.13 mg O 2 dm −3 h −1 in the filtering columns containing heterotrophic bacteria from the River Rhone, France (MermilodBlondin et al 2005); ranged between 0.1 and 1.7 mg O 2 dm −3 h −1 in the sand and fine gravel shallow hyporheic sediments from Sycamore Creek, USA (Jones et al 1995) and between 2 and 6.8 mg O 2 dm −3 h −1 in the shallow hyporheic zone of several mid-order Michigan sand-gravel rivers (Uzarski et al 2004). From these results, it is clear that respiration decreases with depth and varies over the seasons and between river systems.…”

“…From these results, it is clear that respiration decreases with depth and varies over the seasons and between river systems. This is probably due to differences in temperatures, nutrient availability and hydromorphology (sediment composition, direction and the rate of interstitial flow (Jones et al 1995;Uzarski et al 2004;Battin 2000).…”

“…The majority estimate oxygen consumption above the sediment-water interface and do not consider the flow of water through the sediment (e.g. Bowman and Delfino 1980;Jeppesen 1982;Prahl et al 1991;Jones et al 1995;Naegeli and Uehlinger 1997;Doering et al 2011;Ruegg et al 2015;Simčič et al 2015). Pusch and Schwoerbel (1994) have developed a portable device with recirculating water to simulate unidirectional flow of water through a quasi-natural sediment sample, enabling them to measure hyporheic community respiration in the field.…”

The invertebrate community of the chalk stream hyporheic zone: spatio-temporal distribution patterns

“…Moreover, other factors such as the heterogeneity of subsurface flow paths, differences in substrate composition (e.g. chalk putty, layers of impermeable clay not apparent from the surface) and the presence of potential natural obstacles such as mid-bars may prevent the clearly defined zones of downwelling often associated with the head of riffles (Harvey and Bencala, 1993;Jones et al, 1995;Pretty et al, 2006).…”

Coarse particulate organic matter in the interstitial zone of three French headwater streams

“…Relatively little work has attempted to quantify POM buried in the sediments of headwater streams as usually it occurs following spates or other depositional events (but see Leichtfried, 1985Leichtfried, , 1988Metzler and Smock, 1990;Smock, 1990;Bretschko, 1991;Wagner et al, 1993;Jones et al, 1995;Naegeli et al, 1995). In some of these studies, authors have evaluated POM in the sediments by analysing the total organic carbon (TOC) without really paying attention to the relative contribution of the different size fractions (Leichtfried, 1985(Leichtfried, , 1988Bretschko, 1991).…”