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Assimilation and nitrification in pelagic waters: insights using dual nitrate stable isotopes (δ15N, δ18O) in a shallow lake

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Abstract

Nitrate dual stable isotopes (δ15N and δ18O of NO3 −) have proven to be a powerful technique to elucidate nitrogen (N) cycling pathways in aquatic systems. We applied this technique for the first time in the pelagic zone of a small temperate meso-eutrophic lake to identify the dominant N cycling pathways, and their spatial and temporal variability. We measured the lake NO3 − δ15N and δ18O signatures over an annual cycle and compared them to that of the watershed. Both δ15N and δ18O of NO3 − in the lake increased during summer relative to the inputs. Relationships between lake NO3 − isotopic composition and concentrations were different across thermal strata with an apparent isotope effect in the epilimnion of 15εepi = 4.6‰ and 18εepi = 10.9‰. We found a strong deviation of the lake NO3 − δ18O and δ15N from the expected 1:1 line for assimilation (slope = 1.73) suggesting that nitrification was co-occurring. We estimated that nitrification could support between 5 and 30% of nitrate-based production during the growing season, but was negligible in early spring and fall, and probably more dominant under ice. We showed that the technique is promising to study N processes at the ecosystem scale in shallow lakes, particularly during winter. Our results suggest that recycled NO3 − could support primary productivity and influence phytoplankton composition in the surface waters of small lakes.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Marie-Ève Monchamp, Stéphanie Massé, Supriya Tandan, Dan Nguyen and Katherine Velghe for field assistance, Jen Larkum and Jean-François Hélie for stable isotopes measurements. We also thank two anonymous reviewers and Emily H. Stanley for insightful comments. This project was supported by the Fonds de recherche du Québec—Nature et technologies (FRQNT) Team grant to RM, an FQRNT travel award and GRIL support to MB, a National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) grants to RM and IGE.

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  1. Laura A. Bristow

    Present address: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, 28359, Bremen, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie et en environnement aquatique (GRIL), Département des sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128 succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada

    Morgan Botrel & Roxane Maranger

  2. School of Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Darthmouth, 706 S Rodney French Blvd, New Bedford, MA, 02744-1221, USA

    Laura A. Bristow & Mark A. Altabet

  3. GRIL, Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 avenue du Docteur-Penfield, Montréal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada

    Irene Gregory-Eaves

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Correspondence to Morgan Botrel.

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Responsible Editor: Emily H. Stanley.

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Botrel, M., Bristow, L.A., Altabet, M.A. et al. Assimilation and nitrification in pelagic waters: insights using dual nitrate stable isotopes (δ15N, δ18O) in a shallow lake. Biogeochemistry 135, 221–237 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-017-0369-y

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