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Interactive influences of the marine yabby (Trypaea australiensis) and mangrove (Avicennia marina) leaf litter on benthic metabolism and nitrogen cycling in sandy estuarine sediment

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Abstract

A previous study has demonstrated that in sandy sediment the marine yabby (Trypaea australiensis) stimulated benthic metabolism, nitrogen regeneration and nitrification, but did not stimulate denitrification, as the intense bioturbation of the yabbies eliminated anoxic microzones amenable to denitrification. It was hypothesised that organic matter additions would alleviate this effect as the buried particles would provide anoxic microniches for denitrifiers. To test this hypothesis a 55-day microcosm (75 cm × 36 cm diameter) experiment, comprising four treatments: sandy sediment (S), sediment + yabbies (S + Y), sediment + A. marina litter (S + OM) and sediment + yabbies + A. marina litter (S + Y + OM), was conducted. Trypaea australiensis significantly stimulated benthic metabolism, nitrogen regeneration, nitrification and nitrate reduction in the presence and the absence of litter additions. In contrast, the effects of litter additions alone were more subtle, developed gradually and were only significant for sediment oxygen demand. However, there was a significant interaction between yabbies and litter with rates of total nitrate reduction and denitrification being significantly greater in the S + Y + OM than all other treatments, presumably due to the decaying buried litter providing anoxic micro-niches suitable to nitrate reduction. In addition, both T. australiensis and litter significantly decreased rates of DNRA and its contribution to nitrate reduction.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Discovery Project Programme of the Australian Research Council (project number: DP0559935). The manuscript was improved by the detailed and helpful comments of two anonymous reviewers.

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  1. Ryan J. K. Dunn

    Present address: Asia-Pacific ASA Pty. Ltd., P.O. Box 1679, Surfers Paradise, QLD, 4217, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, QLD, 4222, Australia

    Ryan J. K. Dunn & Charles J. Lemckert

  2. Environmental Futures Centre, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, QLD, 4222, Australia

    David T. Welsh, Mark A. Jordan & Peter R. Teasdale

  3. Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, QLD, 4222, Australia

    James M. Arthur

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  1. Ryan J. K. Dunn
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Correspondence to Ryan J. K. Dunn.

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Handling editor: Pierluigi Viaroli

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Dunn, R.J.K., Welsh, D.T., Jordan, M.A. et al. Interactive influences of the marine yabby (Trypaea australiensis) and mangrove (Avicennia marina) leaf litter on benthic metabolism and nitrogen cycling in sandy estuarine sediment. Hydrobiologia 693, 117–129 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1093-1

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