Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Distribution, degradation and bioavailability of dissolved organic matter in the East China Sea

  • Published:
Biogeochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Water samples were collected from the East China Sea (ECS) in October 2015 to investigate the distribution, degradation and bioavailability of organic matter. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total hydrolyzable amino acids (THAAs, including dissolved free, DFAA and combined fraction, DCAA), particulate amino acids (PAAs), and total dissolved carbohydrates (TDCHO, including monosaccharides, MCHO and polysaccharides, PCHO) were measured. DOC and TCHO concentrations exhibited similar distribution patterns with high values occurring at nearshore stations, revealing the effects of terrestrial input and similar source and removal pathways of DOC and TCHO. The distributions of THAA, DCAA, and PAA displayed declining trends from the north to south of the ECS. Elevated THAA values simultaneously occurred in the center of the transect. The onboard incubation experiments with surface seawater from one station showed that the values of degradation index based on amino acids decreased with the increase of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations, indicating the mineralization of THAA to DIN during degradation process. TCHO-C% and THAA-C% are defined as the percentages of carbohydrates and amino acids in DOC, respectively. There were 21 stations suffering P limitation, implying that PO 3−4 -P content was the key factor limiting the growth of phytoplankton. High TCHO-C% values were found at P-limited stations, indicating that phytoplankton preferentially produced carbohydrates when experiencing nutrient limitation. The difference of dissolved organic matter bioavailability between surface and bottom water were probably due to water stratification. Overall, the present study may have implications for the source, removal and bioavailability of organic mater in the ECS.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aagaard K, Carmack EC (1989) The role of sea ice and other fresh water in the Arctic circulation. J Geophys Res 94(10):14485–14498

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amon RMW, Benner R (1996) Bacterial utilization of different size classes of dissolved organic matter. Limnol Oceanogr 41:41–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amon RMW, Benner R (2003) Combined neutral sugar as indicators of the diagenetic state of dissolved organic matter in the Arctic Ocean. Deep Sea Res I 50:151–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amon RMW, Fitznar HP, Benner R (2001) Linkages among the bioreactivity, chemical composition, and diagenetic state of marine dissolved organic matter. Limnol Oceanogr 46:287–297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arnosti C, Holmer M (1999) Carbohydrate dynamics and contributions to the carbon budget of an organic-rich coastal sediment. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 63:393–403

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barber RT (1968) Dissolved organic carbon from deep water resists microbial oxidation. Nature 220:274–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beardsley RC, Limeburner R, Yu H, Cannon GA (1985) Discharge of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) into the East China Sea. Cont Shelf Res 4:57–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benner R, Pakulski JD, McCarthy M, Hedges JI, Hatcher PG (1992) Bulk chemical characteristics of dissolved organic matter in the ocean. Science 255:1561–1564

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhosle NB, Bhaskar PV, Ramachandran S (1998) Abundance of dissolved polysaccharides in the oxygen minimum layer of Northern Indian Ocean. Mar Chem 63:171–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biddanda B, Benner R (1997) Carbon, nitrogen, and carbohydrate fluxes during the production of particulate and dissolved organic matter by marine phytoplankton. Limnol Oceanogr 42:506–518

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biersmith A, Benner R (1998) Carbohydrates in phytoplankton and freshly produced dissolved organic matter. Mar Chem 63:131–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borch NH, Kirchman DL (1997) Concentration and composition of dissolved combined neutral sugars (polysaccharides) in seawater determined by HPLC-PAD. Mar Chem 57:85–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burney CM, Johnson KM, Lavoie DM, Sieburth JM (1979) Dissolved carbohydrate and microbial ATP in the North Atlantic: concentrations and interactions. Deep Sea Res 26A:1267–1290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson CA, Ducklow HW (1995) Dissolved organic carbon in the upper ocean of the central equatorial Pacific Ocean, 1992: daily and fine scale vertical variation. Deep Sea Res II 42:639–656

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Yang GP, Wu GW, Gao XC, Xia QY (2013) Concentration and characterization of dissolved organic matter in the surface microlayer and subsurface water of the Bohai Sea, China. Cont Shelf Res 52:97–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Yang GP, Liu L, Zhang PY, Leng WS (2016a) Sources, behaviors and degradation of dissolved organic matter in the East China Sea. J Mar Syst 155:84–97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Yang GP, Xia QY, Wu GW (2016b) Enrichment and characterization of dissolved organic matter in the surface microlayer and subsurface water of the South Yellow Sea. Mar Chem 182:1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cowie GL, Hedges JI (1992) Sources and reactivities of amino acids in a coastal marine environment. Limnol Oceanogr 37:703–724

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cowie GL, Hedges JI (1994) Biochemical indicators of diagenetic alteration in natural organic-matter mixtures. Nature 369:304–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cowie GL, Hedges JI (1996) Digestion and alteration of the biochemical constituents of a diatom (Thalassiosira weissflogii) ingested by an herbivorous zooplankton (Calanus pacificus). Limnol Oceanogr 41:581–594

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuhel RL, Ortner PB, Lean DRS (1984) Night synthesis of protein by algae. Limnol Oceanogr 29:731–744

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dauwe B, Middelburg JJ (1998) Amino acids and hexosamines as indicators of organic matter degradation state in North Sea sediments. Limnol Oceanogr 43:782–798

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dauwe B, Middelburg JJ, Herman PMJ, Heip CHR (1999) Linking diagenetic alteration of amino acids and bulk organic matter reactivity. Limnol Oceanogr 44:1809–1814

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis J, Benner R (2005) Seasonal trends in the abundance, composition and bioavailability of particulate and dissolved organic matter in the Chukchi/Beaufort Seas and western Canada Basin. Deep Sea Res II 52:3396–3410

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dortch Q, Whitledge TE (1992) Does nitrogen or silicon limit phytoplankton production in the Mississippi River plume and nearby regions. Cont Shelf Res 12:1293–1309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Druffel ERM, Williams PM, Bauer JE, Ertel JR (1992) Cycling of dissolved and particulate organic matter in the open ocean. J Geophys Res 97:15639–15659

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo L, Tanaka T, Wang D, Tanaka N, Murata A (2004) Distributions, speciation and stable isotope composition of organic matter in the southeastern Bering Sea. Mar Chem 91:211–226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He Z, Wang Q, Yang GP, Gao XC, Wu GW (2015) Spatiotemporal variation characteristics and related affecting factors of dissolved carbohydrates in the East China Sea. Cont Shelf Res 108:12–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hecky RE, Mopper K, Kilham P, Degens ET (1973) The amino acid and sugar composition of diatom cell walls. Mar Biol 19:323–331

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hedges JI (1992) Global biogeochemical cycles: progress and problems. Mar Chem 39:67–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hedges JI, Oades JM (1997) Comparative geochemistries of soils and sediments. Org Geochem 27:319–361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill V, Cota G (2005) Spatial patterns of primary production on the shelf, slope and basin of the Western Arctic in 2002. Deep Sea Res II 52:3344–3354

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hopkinson CS, Vallino JJ (2005) Efficient export of carbon to the deep ocean through dissolved organic matter. Nature 433:142–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hopkinson CS, Vallino JJ, Nolin A (2002) Decomposition of dissolved organic matter from the continental margin. Deep Sea Res II 49:4461–4478

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hung JJ, Chen CH, Gong GC, Sheu DD, Shiah FK (2003) Distributions, stoichiometric patterns and cross-shelf exports of dissolved organic matter in the East China Sea. Deep Sea Res II 50:1127–1145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hung CC, Warnken KW, Santschi PH (2005) A seasonal survey of carbohydrates and uronic acids in the Trinity River, Texas. Org Geochem 36:463–474

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang YZ, Cheng JH, Li SF (2009) Temporal changes in the fish community resulting from a summer fishing moratorium in the northern East China Sea. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 387:265–273

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang Y, Yoshida T, Quigg A (2012) Photosynthetic performance, lipid production and biomass composition in response to nitrogen limitation in marine microalgae. Plant Physiol Biochem 54:70–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiao N, Herndl GJ, Hansell DA, Benner R, Kattner G, Wilhelm SW, Kirchman DL, Weinbauer MG, Luo T, Chen F, Azam F (2010) Microbial production of recalcitrant dissolved organic matter: long-term carbon storage in the global ocean. Nat Rev Microbiol 8:593–599

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser K, Benner R (2009) Biochemical composition and size distribution of organic matter at the Pacific and Atlantic time-series stations. Mar Chem 113:63–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kawasaki N, Benner R (2006) Bacterial release of dissolved organic matter during cell growth and decline: molecular origin and composition. Limnol Oceanogr 51:2170–2180

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keil RG, Kirchman DL (1992) Bacterial hydrolysis of protein and methylated protein and its implications for studies of protein degradation in aquatic systems. Appl Environ Microbiol 58:1374–1375

    Google Scholar 

  • Keil RG, Tsamakis E, Hedges JI (2000) Early diagenesis of particulate amino acids in marine systems. In: Goodfriend GA, Collins MJ, Fogel ML, Macko SA, Wehmiller JF (eds) Perspectives in amino acid and protein geochemistry. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 69–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirchman D, Hodson R (1984) Inhibition by peptides of amino acid uptake by bacterial populations in natural waters: implications for the regulation of amino acid transport and incorporation. Appl Environ Microbiol 47:624–631

    Google Scholar 

  • Köhler H, Meon B, Gordeev VV, Spitzy A, Amon RMW (2003) Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the Estuaries of Ob and Yenisei and the adjacent Kara Sea, Russia. In: Stein R et al (eds) Siberian river run-off in the Kara Sea: characterization, quantification, variability, and environmental significance, proceeding in marine science, vol 6. Elsevier, New York, pp 281–308

    Google Scholar 

  • Kovac N, Faganeli J, Sket B, Bajt O (1998) Characterization of macroaggregates and photodegradation of their water soluble fraction. Org Geochem 29:1623–1634

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li D, Daler D (2004) Ocean pollution from land-based sources: East China Sea, China. AMBIO J Hum Environ 33:107–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li M, Xu K, Watanabe M, Chen Z (2007) Long-term variations in dissolved silicate, nitrogen, and phosphorus flux from the Yangtze River into the East China Sea and impacts on estuarine ecosystem. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 71:3–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindroth P, Mopper K (1979) High performance liquid chromatographic determination of subpicomole amounts of amino acids by precolumn fluorescence derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde. Anal Chem 51:1667–1674

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu JP, Li AC, Xu KH (2006) Sedimentary features of the Yangtze River-derived along-shelf clinoform deposit in the East China Sea. Cont Shelf Res 26:2141–2156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu KK, Yan WJ, Lee HJ, Chao SY, Gong GC, Yeh TY (2015) Impacts of increasing dissolved inorganic nitrogen discharged from Changjiang on primary production and sea floor oxygen demand in the East China Sea from 1970 to 2002. J Mar Syst 141:200–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu SM, Qi XH, Li XN, Ye HR, Wu Y, Ren JL, Zhang J, Xu WY (2016) Nutrient dynamics from the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary to the East China Sea. J Mar Syst 154:15–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lomstein BA, Jensen AGU, Hansen JW, Andreasen JB, Hansen LS, Berntsen J, Kunzendorf H (1998) Budgest of sediment nitrogen and carbon cycling in the shallow water of Knebel Vig, Denmark. Aquat Microb Ecol 14:69–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCarthy MD, Hedges JI, Benner R (1996) Major biochemical composition of dissolved high molecular weight organic matter in seawater. Mar Chem 55:281–297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meon B, Kirchman DL (2001) Dynamic and molecular composition of dissolved organic material during experimental phytoplankton blooms. Mar Chem 75:185–199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Münster U (1993) Concentrations and fluxes of organic carbon substrates in the aquatic environment. Antonie Leeuwenhoek 63:243–274

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myklestad SM, Børsheim KY (2007) Dynamics of carbohydrates in the Norwegian Sea inferred from monthly profiles collected during 3 years at 66 N, 2 E. Mar Chem 107:475–485

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myklestad S, Haug A (1972) Production of carbohydrates by the marine diatom Chaetoceros affinis var. willei (Gran) Hustedt. I. Effect of the concentration of nutrients in the culture medium. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 9:125–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myklestad SM, Skånøy E, Hestmann S (1997) A sensitive and rapid method for analysis of dissolved mono- and polysaccharides in seawater. Mar Chem 56:279–286

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nguyen R, Harvey H (1997) Protein and amino acid cycling during phytoplankton decomposition in oxic and anoxic waters. Org Geochem 27:115–128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Opsahl S, Benner R, Amon RMW (1999) Major flux of terrigenous dissolved organic matter through the Arctic Ocean. Limnol Oceanogr 44:2017–2023

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pakulski JD, Benner R (1994) Abundance and distribution of carbohydrates in the ocean. Limnol Oceanogr 39:930–940

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parsons TR, Maita Y, Lalli CM (1984) A manual for chemical and biological methods for seawater analysis. Pergamon Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter KG, Feig YS (1980) The use of DAPI for identification and counting aquatic microflora. Limnol Oceanogr 25:943–948

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reinthaler T, Sintes E, Herndl GJ (2008) Dissolved organic matter and bacterial production and respiration in the sea-surface microlayer of the open Atlantic and the western Mediterranean Sea. Limnol Oceanogr 53:122–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlitzer R (2014) Ocean data view. http://odv.awi.de

  • Shen Y, Fichot CG, Liang SK, Benner R (2016) Biological hot spots and the accumulation of marine dissolved organic matter in a highly productive ocean margin. Limnol Oceanogr 61:1287–1330

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon M (1998) Bacterioplankton dynamics in a large mesotrophic lake: II. Concentrations and turnover of dissolved amino acids. Arch Hydrobiol 144:1–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skoog A, Benner R (1997) Aldoses in various size fractions of marine organic matter: implications for carbon cycling. Limnol Oceanogr 42:1803–1810

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Søndergaard M, Middelboe M (1995) A cross-system analysis of labile organic carbon. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 118:283–294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song JM, Li XG, Yuan HM, Zheng GX, Yang YF (2008) Carbon fixed by phytoplankton and cultured algae in China coastal seas. Acta Ecol Sin 28:0551–0558 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Strickland JDH, Parsons TR (1972) A practical handbook of seawater analysis. Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Bulletin No. 167

  • Strom SL, Benner R, Ziegler S, Dagg MJ (1997) Plankton grazers are a potential important source of marine dissolved organic carbon. Limnol Oceanogr 42:1364–1374

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Su JL (1998) Circulation dynamics of the China seas: north of 18°N. In: Robinson AR, Brink K (eds) The global coastal ocean: regional studies and syntheses, the sea, vol 11. Wiley, New York, pp 483–506

    Google Scholar 

  • Sundh I (1992) Biochemical composition of dissolved organic carbon released from natural communities of lake phytoplankton. Arch Hydrobiol 125:347–369

    Google Scholar 

  • Suttle C, Chan A, Fuhrman J (1991) Dissolved free amino acids in the Sargasso Sea: uptake and respiration rates, turnover times, and concentrations. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 70:189–199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tian RC, Hu FX, Martin JM (1993) Summer nutrient fronts in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 37:27–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang B (2006) Cultural eutrophication in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Plume: history and perspective. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 69:471–477

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang DL, Henrichs SM, Guo LD (2006) Distributions of nutrients, dissolved organic carbon and carbohydrates in the western Arctic Ocean. Cont Shelf Res 26:1654–1667

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang D, Sun J, An BZ, Ni XB, Liu SM (2008) Phytoplankton assemblages on the continental shelf of East China Sea in autumn 2006. Chin J Appl Ecol 19:2435–2442 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang XR, Cai YH, Guo LD (2010) Preferential removal of dissolved carbohydrates during estuarine mixing in the Bay of Saint Louis in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Mar Chem 119:130–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang YM, Wu GW, Yang GP, Shi D (2013) Distributions of dissolved carbohydrates in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea during summer. Mar Environ Sci 32:227–234 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams PM, Druffel ERM (1987) Radiocarbon in dissolved organic matter in the central North Pacific Ocean. Nature 330:246–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witter AE, Luther GW III (2002) Spectrophotometric measurement of seawater carbohydrate concentrations in neritic and oceanic waters from the U.S. Middle Atlantic Bight and the Delaware Estuary. Mar Chem 77:143–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xiong W, Gao CF, Yan D, Wu C, Wu QY (2010) Double CO2 fixation in photosynthesis-fermentation model enhances algal lipid synthesis for biodiesel production. Bioresour Technol 101:2287–2293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamashita Y, Tanoue E (2003) Distribution and alteration of amino acids in bulk DOM along a transect from bay to oceanic waters. Mar Chem 82:145–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang GP, Chen Y, Gao XC (2009) Distribution of dissolved free amino acids, dissolved inorganic nitrogen and chlorophyll a in the surface microlayer and subsurface water of the Yellow Sea, China. Cont Shelf Res 29:1737–1747

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang J (1996) Nutrient elements in large Chinese estuaries. Cont Shelf Res 16:1023–1045

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang J, Liu SM, Ren JL, Wu Y, Zhang GL (2007) Nutrient gradients from the eutrophic Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary to the oligotrophic Kuroshio waters and re-evaluation of budgets for the East China Sea Shelf. Prog Oceanogr 74:449–478

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou MJ, Shen ZL, Yu RC (2008) Responses of a coastal phytoplankton community to increased nutrient input from the Changjiang (Yangtze) River. Cont Shelf Res 28:1483–1489

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu ZY, Zhang J, Ying W, Zhang YY, Lin J, Liu SM (2011) Hypoxia off the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary: oxygen depletion and organic matter decomposition. Mar Chem 125:108–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu ZY, Wu Y, Zhang J, Dittmar T, Li Y, Shao L, Ji Q (2014) Can primary production contribute non-labile organic matter in the sea: amino acid enantiomers along the coast south of the Changjiang Estuary in May. J Mar Syst 129:343–349

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the captain and crew of the R/V “Science No. 3” for help and cooperation during the cruise. Data to support this article were listed in the references, figures and tables. This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2016YFA0601300), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41320104008 and 41576073), the Creative Team Project of the Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Grant No. LMEES-CTSP-2018-2), Aoshan Talents Program of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (No. 2015 ASTP), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 201762030).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education; College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Chong-Xiao Ji, Gui-Peng Yang, Yan Chen & Peng-Yan Zhang

  2. Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China

    Gui-Peng Yang

  3. Institute of Marine Chemistry, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Gui-Peng Yang

Authors
  1. Chong-Xiao Ji
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gui-Peng Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yan Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Peng-Yan Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gui-Peng Yang.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Maren Voss.

Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 244 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ji, CX., Yang, GP., Chen, Y. et al. Distribution, degradation and bioavailability of dissolved organic matter in the East China Sea. Biogeochemistry 142, 189–207 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-018-0529-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-018-0529-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation