Abstract
Nitrification is a vital biogeochemical process during which ammonium (NH4+) is oxidized to nitrite (NO2−) and nitrate (NO3−) using oxygen. Nitrification is particularly important in estuaries, where nitrification rates have significant implications for ecosystem functioning. Our study investigated seasonal and spatial variations of nitrification rates in both water and sediment phases of mangrove ecosystems in the Indian Sundarbans, integrating the three major estuaries (Saptamukhi, Thakuran, and Matla). We used on board incubation to measure nitrifying activity [i.e., ammonium oxidation rate (Ra) and nitrite oxidation rate (Rn)] in the water column. We found that average Ra and Rn rates were similar, ranging from 31.1 to 31.8 nmol N L−1 h−1, respectively. Water column nitrification rates showed an inverse relationship with salinity (r = − 0.51, p < 0.001), while substrate concentrations of ammonium had a direct impact on nitrification rates. Annual dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations were 11.7 ± 7.65 µM, with an average nitrate (NO3−) concentration of 4.5–16.3 µM and average ammonium (NH4+) concentrations from 2.1 to 5 µM. Suspended particulate matter and chlorophyll showed positive (r = 0.38, p = 0.009) and negative (r = − 0.31, p = 0.034) correlations, respectively, with water column nitrification rates. For water, both Ra and Rn occurred at similar rates in our study area. In sediment, nitrifying activity (SEDn) rates ranged from 0.34 to 8.69 nmol N g wet wt−1 h−1. SEDn showed positive and negative correlations with sediment temperature (temp) and pH, respectively. Based on our observations, the average water column nitrification potential ranged from 43 to 420 nmol N L−1 h−1 considering three estuaries, while the sediment nitrification potential estimated at Saptamukhi estuary showed a value of 69 nmol N g wet wt−1 h−1.
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The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors express their gratitude to the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology (DST) for providing financial support to carry out this study (sanction no. DST/INSPIRE Fellowship/2017/IF170932, dated 30.08.2018). We would also like to thank the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve (SBR) and Divisional Forest Office (DFO), South 24 Parganas, Govt. of West Bengal for their assistance and support during the field works. We extend special thanks to Dr. Rishmita Mukherjee for her help in proofreading and editing this manuscript. Lastly, we acknowledge the Department of Marine Science (University of Calcutta) for allowing us to conduct this research.
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Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by S.B., A.A., P.S., V.K.G., M.P., and N.M. S.K.M. contributed to the study of conception and design. The first draft of the manuscript was written by S.B. and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Bakshi, S., Acharya, A., Sanyal, P. et al. Distribution of inorganic nitrogenous species and nitrification in the mangrove environment of the Indian Sundarbans. Aquat Sci 86, 56 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-024-01066-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-024-01066-x