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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Resolving community metabolism of eelgrass Zostera marina meadows by benthic flume-chambers and eddy covariance in dynamic coastal environments
Marine Ecology - Progress Series, Vol.661, pp.97-114
04/03/2021
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Abstract
Sediment resuspension is a common process in dynamic coastal settings, but its implications for remineralization and carbon turnover in seagrass meadows are poorly understood. Here, we assessed eelgrass Zostera marina metabolism in the Baltic Sea (SW Finland) using benthic flume-chambers and aquatic eddy covariance to critically evaluate the drivers of benthic O2 exchange during dynamic flow conditions. During quiescent weather conditions, the 2 methods resolved similar metabolic rates and net ecosystem autotrophy (±11% of each other). However, elevated flow speeds and sediment resuspension halfway through the study induced a 5-fold increase in the O2 uptake rates measured by eddy covariance, whereas chamber fluxes remained relatively unchanged. Following particle resettlement, instruments were redeployed and the benthic O2 uptake resolved by both techniques was just ~30% of the values measured before resuspension. Laboratory investigations revealed sediment resuspension could potentially increase benthic O2 uptake up to 6fold, mainly due to the reoxidation of reduced compounds (e.g. FeSx). This process was fully captured by the eddy O2 fluxes, but not by the chamber incubation. Consequently, the chamber and eddy net ecosystem metabolism amounted to -17 and -824 mmol C m-2, respectively, throughout the study period. The rapid reoxidation and long-term effects of resuspension on benthic O2 dynamics highlight the importance of fully capturing dynamic conditions when assessing the overall carbon turnover in coastal habitats. Future studies on the biogeochemical functioning of coastal environments should aim to capture the natural frequency and duration of resuspension events.
Details
- Title
- Resolving community metabolism of eelgrass Zostera marina meadows by benthic flume-chambers and eddy covariance in dynamic coastal environments
- Creators
- Nicola Camillini - Southern Cross UniversityKarl M. Attard - University of Southern DenmarkBradley D. Eyre - Southern Cross UniversityRonnie N Glud - University of Southern Denmark
- Publication Details
- Marine Ecology - Progress Series, Vol.661, pp.97-114
- Publisher
- Inter-Research
- Grant note
- The Walter and Andrée de Nottbeck Foundation supported this work through a postdoctoral fellowship to K.M.A. and through a senior research fellowship to R.N.G. The work was furthermore supported by the Danish National Research Council (FNU 7014-00078), The Academy of Finland (project ID 294853), the European Commission through HADES-ERC (project ID 669947), the Danish National Research Foundation through the Danish Center for Hadal Research (HADAL, Grant no. DNRF145), and the Australian Research Council (DP160100248).
- Identifiers
- 991012961196802368
- Copyright
- © The authors 2021. Open Access under Creative Commons by Attribution Licence. Use, distribution and reproduction are unrestricted. Authors and original publication must be credited.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; School of Environment, Science and Engineering; Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry; Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article