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Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in a Shallow Productive Sub-Tropical Coastal Embayment (Western Moreton Bay, Australia): The Importance of Pelagic–Benthic Coupling

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Abstract

Climatic variables, water quality, benthic fluxes, sediment properties, and infauna were measured six times over an annual cycle in a shallow sub-tropical embayment to characterize carbon and nutrient cycling, and elucidate the role of pelagic–benthic coupling. Organic carbon (OC) inputs to the bay are dominated by phytoplankton (mean 74%), followed by catchment inputs (15%), and benthic microalgae (BMA; 9%). The importance of catchment inputs was highly variable and dependent on antecedent rainfall, with significant storage of allochthonous OC in sediments following high flow events and remineralization of this material supporting productivity during the subsequent period. Outputs were dominated by benthic mineralization (mean 59% of total inputs), followed by pelagic mineralization (16%), burial (1%), and assimilation in macrofaunal biomass (2%). The net ecosystem metabolism (NEM = production minus respiration) varied between −4 and 33% (mean 9%) of total primary production, whereas the productivity/respiration (p/r) ranged between 0.96 and 1.5 (mean 1.13). Up to 100% of the NEM is potentially removed via the demersal detritivore pathway. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) inputs from the catchment contributed less than 1% of the total phytoplankton demand, implicating internal DIN recycling (pelagic 23% and benthic 19%) and potentially benthic dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) fluxes (27%) or N fixation (up to 47%) as important processes sustaining productivity. Although phytoplankton dominated OC inputs in this system, BMA exerted strong seasonal controls over benthic DIN fluxes, limiting pelagic productivity when mixing/photic depth approached 1.3. The results of this study suggest low DIN:TOC and net autotrophic NEM may be a significant feature of shallow sub-tropical systems where the mixing/photic depth is consistently less than 4.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by an ARC Linkage Grant (LP0212075) awarded to Bradley Eyre, Angus Ferguson, and John Kirkwood and an ARC Discovery Grant (DP0342956) awarded to Bradley Eyre. The ARC Linkage Project was in partnership with the Moreton Bay Waterways and Catchments Partnership, the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and the Queensland Environmental Protection Authority who provided funding and in-kind support for the study. We would like to thank our divers and boat crew Simon Hartley, Danny Bucher and Max Egan, our field assistants Paul Kelly, Damien Maher, Jodie Walker, Jaimie Potts and Geoff Coade; and our analyst Iain Alexander. Without their invaluable support this study would not have been possible.

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  1. Centre For Coastal Biogeochemistry, Southern Cross University, P.O. Box 157, Lismore, New South Wales, 2480, Australia

    Angus J. P. Ferguson & Bradley D. Eyre

  2. NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, 59 Goulburn St, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia

    Angus J. P. Ferguson

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  1. Angus J. P. Ferguson
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Correspondence to Angus J. P. Ferguson.

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A. Ferguson: designed study, performed research, analyzed data, wrote the paper. B. Eyre: designed study, contributed to writing of manuscript, contributed to research.

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Ferguson, A.J.P., Eyre, B.D. Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in a Shallow Productive Sub-Tropical Coastal Embayment (Western Moreton Bay, Australia): The Importance of Pelagic–Benthic Coupling. Ecosystems 13, 1127–1144 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-010-9378-6

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