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Denitrification, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, and nitrogen fixation along a nitrate concentration gradient in a created freshwater wetland

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Abstract

Wetlands are often highly effective nitrogen (N) sinks. In the Lake Waco Wetland (LWW), near Waco, Texas, USA, nitrate (NO 3 ) concentrations are reduced by more than 90% in the first 500 m downstream of the inflow, creating a distinct gradient in NO 3 concentration along the flow path of water. The relative importance of sediment denitrification (DNF), dissimilatory NO 3 reduction to ammonium (DNRA), and N2 fixation were examined along the NO 3 concentration gradient in the LWW. “Potential DNF” (hereafter potDNF) was observed in all months and ranged from 54 to 278 μmol N m−2 h−1. “Potential DNRA” (hereafter potDNRA) was observed only in summer months and ranged from 1.3 to 33 μmol N m−2 h−1. Net N2 flux ranged from 184 (net denitrification) to −270 (net N2 fixation) μmol N m−2 h−1. Nitrogen fixation was variable, ranging from 0 to 426 μmol N m−2 h−1, but high rates ranked among the highest reported for aquatic sediments. On average, summer potDNRA comprised only 5% (±2% SE) of total NO 3 loss through dissimilatory pathways, but was as high as 36% at one site where potDNF was consistently low. Potential DNRA was higher in sediments with higher sediment oxygen demand (r 2 = 0.84), and was related to NO 3 concentration in overlying water in one summer (r 2 = 0.81). Sediments were a NO 3 sink and accounted for 50% of wetland NO 3 removal (r 2 = 0.90). Sediments were an NH +4 source, but the wetland was often a net NH +4 sink. Although DNRA rates in freshwater wetlands may rival those observed in estuarine systems, the importance of DNRA in freshwater sediments appears to be minor relative to DNF. Furthermore, sediment N2 fixation can be extremely high when NO 3 in overlying water is consistently low. The data suggest that newly fixed N can support sustained N transformation processes such as DNF and DNRA when surface water inorganic N supply rates are low.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Texas Water Resources Institute and the United States Geological Survey as part of the National Institutes for Water Research program (TAES grant no. 570251 to J.T. Scott at Baylor University) and by the National Science Foundation (Grant OCE-0350651 to W.S. Gardner at The University of Texas). The project was also partially funded by a Folmar Graduate Student Research Grant and Gardner Graduate Student Research Grant provided to J.T. Scott by the Baylor University Department of Biology. The authors thank James Newman for his assistance in sampling efforts.

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Correspondence to J. Thad Scott.

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Scott, J.T., McCarthy, M.J., Gardner, W.S. et al. Denitrification, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, and nitrogen fixation along a nitrate concentration gradient in a created freshwater wetland. Biogeochemistry 87, 99–111 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-007-9171-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-007-9171-6

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