Abstract
Tidal freshwater zones (TFZs) can significantly affect nutrient transport from watersheds to estuaries through biogeochemical cycling. Phytoplankton, pivotal in nutrient cycling, have been relatively understudied within TFZs. Employing accessory pigment analysis, this study assessed the contribution of diverse phytoplankton groups to chlorophyll a (chl a) biomass over an annual cycle under baseflow conditions. Spatial and temporal patterns in chl a concentrations and community structure as inferred from accessory pigment analysis were evaluated in relation to temperature, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), and DIN/SRP ratios. Downstream phytoplankton transport and seasonal succession within the TFZ, driven by nutrient levels and temperature, lead to variations in chl a concentration and community composition. Overall chl a levels were higher in the TFZ than in the upstream river and downstream estuary, with cyanobacteria prominently contributing to chl a biomass, especially in the lower TFZ sections. This study underscores the role of prolonged residence times and nutrient enrichment in TFZs, resulting in elevated chl a concentrations and shaping phytoplankton community composition, with implications for downstream estuaries.
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Data availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the Mendeley Data repository, https://doi.org/10.17632/97sxgbzvfv.2.
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Acknowledgements
This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (#1417433). We thank the REUisME program (NSF #1358890) led by Dr. Deana Erdner and the University of Texas at Austin Semester-by-the-Sea program. We also thank Dr. Ryan Hladyniuk and Patricia Garlough for analyzing the particulate organic nutrient samples, and Drs. Zhanfei Liu and Jianhong Xue for their help with the HPLC analysis. This work would not have been possible without their help.
Funding
National Science Foundation (1417433), Natural Science Research of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China (22KJB170013).
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Wei, H., Xu, X., Savoie, A. et al. Seasonal and nutrient controls on phytoplankton in the Aransas River tidal freshwater zone, Texas, USA. Hydrobiologia 851, 1275–1290 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-023-05388-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-023-05388-z