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Journal article
Lagoon Biogeochemical Processing is Reflected in Spatial Patterns of Sediment Stable Isotopic Ratios
Journal of marine science and engineering, v 8(11)
01 Nov 2020
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
The spatial analysis of biota, particulate organic matter, and sediments for stable isotopes of carbon (delta C-13), nitrogen (delta N-15), and sulfur (delta S-34) have proved useful for identifying patterns in productivity, nutrient pollution, and relationships between biological and physiochemical variables at the local and global scales. Yet such approaches are rarely applied to studies of lagoon or estuarine metabolism. Focusing on Bahia San Quintin, a heterotrophic seagrass-dominated lagoon on the Pacific coast of Baja California, Mexico, we report on spatial patterns in surficial sediment CNS stable isotopic ratios as tracers of lagoon biogeochemical function. Stable nitrogen isotopes highlighted potential spatial variability in the balance between denitrification and nitrogen-fixation within the lagoon and identified an association between elevated delta N-15 levels and oyster culture, suggesting that oyster presence may be enhancing N-2 production. Spatial patterns in delta S-34 covaried with sediment particle size, underlining the importance of sediment texture in determining the depth of sub-oxic-anoxic redox zones. Sediment carbon stable isotope ratios highlighted the lack of incorporation of seagrass carbon into seagrass meadow sediments, thus emphasizing the importance of phytoplankton or microphytobenthos for carbon accumulation in seagrass meadows. This report highlights the value of sediment isotopic values in corroborating spatial patterns in estuarine metabolism or macronutrient processing identified from chamber or flux-based studies. Stable isotope mapping can provide a useful addition to assessment of estuarine metabolism, or act as a stand-alone tool for generating hypotheses, identifying the influence of spatial gradients, and/or suggesting prime locations for investigation of microbial abundance or function.
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Details
- Title
- Lagoon Biogeochemical Processing is Reflected in Spatial Patterns of Sediment Stable Isotopic Ratios
- Creators
- Elizabeth Burke Watson - Drexel UniversityAlejandro Hinojosa-Corona - Ctr Invest Cient & Educac Super Ensenada, Dept Geol, Ensenada 22860, BC, MexicoJohannes R. Krause - Drexel Univ, Dept Biodivers Earth & Environm Sci, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USAJuan Carlos Herguera - Ctr Invest Cient & Educac Super Ensenada, Dept Geol, Ensenada 22860, BC, MexicoJulianna McDonnell - Univ Calif Riverside, Dept Environm Sci, Riverside, CA 92521 USAKaren Raquel Villegas Manriquez - Ctr Invest Cient & Educac Super Ensenada, Dept Geol, Ensenada 22860, BC, MexicoMichelle E. Gannon - Drexel UniversityAndrew B. Gray - Univ Calif Riverside, Dept Environm Sci, Riverside, CA 92521 USA
- Publication Details
- Journal of marine science and engineering, v 8(11)
- Publisher
- Mdpi
- Number of pages
- 19
- Grant note
- CN-16-147 / UC Mexus-CONACYT collaborative grant; Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) CA-R-ENS-5120-H / USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) William L. McLean III Fellowship UCR graduate research fellowships Fulbright-Garcia Robles Scholar Award
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000594015300001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85095733543
- Other Identifier
- 991019167765704721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Engineering, Marine
- Engineering, Ocean
- Oceanography