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Biogeochemical processes controlling the dynamics of dissolved organic matter in streams in the Shirakami Mountains, Japan

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Abstract

The Shirakami Mountain range, including the largest primeval beech forest in East-Asia, is undergoing ecological change. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays an important role in nutrient and material cycling in forest ecosystems. Because the quality of DOM varies based on its origin and diagenetic and runoff processes, changes in the environment surrounding DOM can be rapidly detected by monitoring its quality. Herein, concentrations and fluorescence composition of DOM at 14 sites in 13 streams in the Shirakami Mountain range were monitored monthly for over 2 years, excluding winter (December–March), to gain insight into the catchment hydrological and soil characteristics affecting DOM concentrations and composition in stream water. Based on the pattern of temporal changes in fluorescent component composition, monitoring sites were categorized into four groups (streams with small catchments, large catchments, catchments facing the Sea of Japan, and open waters in the catchment) with similar catchment characteristics affecting DOM dynamics. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that DOM concentrations in each group could be attributed to rainfall on the survey date, short-term (1–2 days) rainfall, midterm (~1 month) accumulated rainfall, midterm (7–11 days) accumulated temperature, and catchment characteristics as explanatory variables. The degree of influence of these variables differed among the four groups. The results of this study show that grouping streams according to catchment hydrological characteristics can help identify the impact of climate and environmental change on DOM dynamics in stream water.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mr. Hattori, K. of the Ministry of Environment for his assistance in obtaining meteorological data. We also thank Dr. Shima, E. for his cooperation in conducting the survey.

Funding

Kitasato University School of Veterinary Medicine provided support for the research and analysis costs necessary to conduct this survey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Towada, Aomori, 034-8628, Japan

    Nagamitsu Maie & Ayako H. Oide

  2. Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Kitasato University, Towada, Aomori, 034-8628, Japan

    Satoshi Nishimura

  3. Inland Water Fishery Research Institute, Aomori Prefectural Industrial Technology Research Center, Towada, Aomori, 034-0041, Japan

    Kazunori Shizuka

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  1. Nagamitsu Maie
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  4. Kazunori Shizuka
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Contributions

N.M. designed the study, interpreted the data, and wrote the draft of the manuscript. S.N. made significant contributions in conducting the survey and water sample analyses; A.H.O. contributed significantly to the GIS analysis; K.S. contributed significantly to the statistical analyses. All authors commented on drafts on the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.

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Correspondence to Nagamitsu Maie.

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Maie, N., Nishimura, S., Oide, A.H. et al. Biogeochemical processes controlling the dynamics of dissolved organic matter in streams in the Shirakami Mountains, Japan. Environ Monit Assess 195, 1450 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-12079-8

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