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Nitrate dynamics in a reed belt of a shallow sand dune lake in Japan: Analysis of nitrate retention using stable nitrogen isotope ratios

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Abstract

A stable nitrogen isotope analysis was used to clarify the relative importance of denitrification and nitrate uptake by plants in the nitrate reduction in a reed belt of L. Kamisagata (N 37°49′, E 138°53′, alt. 4.5 m, depth 30–80 cm, area 0.025 km2), one of about 20 sand dune lakes in Japan. A very high concentration of NO −3 -N with 19.0 ± 5.9 mg N l−1 in spring sources decreased during passage through the reed belt along two set transect lines about 120 m long in any season, whereas progressive enrichment in 15N-NO −3 in flowing water was detected. Loss rate of nitrate ranged from 38.4 to 73.1% with an average of 56.7 ± 11.6%. Enrichment factors calculated using a Rayleigh curve method ranged from −1.03 to −5.12‰. The contribution of denitrification to nitrate loss ranged from 6 to 28%, with a mean of 19.5% (±7.0), whereas that of plant uptake was from 72 to 94%, with a mean of 80.5% (±7.0), indicating the importance of vegetation in a sand dune riparian zone. A technique using the variation of natural abundance of 15N may provide useful information on the nitrate dynamics in artificial or natural wetlands under a non-destructive condition.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to members of the Sand Dune Lakes Research Group, Ms. A. Saito and Ms. E. Niino, who provided water samples for stable isotope analyses. We also thank Mr. Akamatsu and Ms. M. Ohota (Shinshu University) for their assistance in the nitrogen isotope measurement, and also Dr. Yoshioka (Research Institute for Humanity and Nature) for his incisive and kind advice on the isotope methodology. This study was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) No.17510193 from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

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  1. Faculty of Education and Human Sciences, Niigata University, Ikarashi 2-8050, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan

    Haruo Fukuhara, Fumiko Nemoto & Yoko Takeuchi

  2. Faculty of Science, Shinshu University, Asahimachi 1-1, Matsumoto, Japan

    Nobushige Toda

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  1. Haruo Fukuhara
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  2. Fumiko Nemoto
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  3. Yoko Takeuchi
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  4. Nobushige Toda
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Correspondence to Haruo Fukuhara.

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Fukuhara, H., Nemoto, F., Takeuchi, Y. et al. Nitrate dynamics in a reed belt of a shallow sand dune lake in Japan: Analysis of nitrate retention using stable nitrogen isotope ratios. Hydrobiologia 584, 49–58 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-0589-6

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