Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Temporal variation in sediment C, N, and P stoichiometry in a plateau lake during sediment burial

  • Sediments, Sec 2 • Physical and Biogeochemical Processes • Research Article
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Variation in C/N/P stoichiometry during sediment burial is related to elemental biogeochemistry cycles from the hydrosphere to the lithosphere. However, C/N/P stoichiometry change in lakes is still unclear although lakes are an important burial site of terrestrial matter. The purpose of this study was to determine the variation in C/N/P stoichiometry and its influencing factors in the burial processes of lake sediments.

Materials and methods

Two sediment cores (cores 4 and 5) were collected from a plateau lake (Dianchi Lake, China) in July 2014. The CRS 210Pb dating model of was used to estimate the vertical chronological distribution for each layer. Total, organic, and inorganic carbon (TC, TOC, TIC), nitrogen (TN, TON, TIN), and phosphorus (TP, TOP, TIP) were analyzed to determine variation patterns in the C/N (RCN, ROCN, RICN), C/P (RCP, ROCP, RICP), and N/P ratios (RNP, RONP, RINP) in lake sediments.

Results and discussion

The results showed that TOC, TON, and TIP were the main constituents of TC, TN, and TP in both sediment cores, respectively. After 1960, the burial rates of TOC and TON in core 4 exhibited rapidly increasing trends, coincident with TC and TN. In core 5, the increase occurred after 1980. Significant differences in C/N/P stoichiometry were observed in cores 4 and 5, dominated by allochthonous and autochthonous sources, respectively. RCP and RNP in core 4 were higher than in core 5; the difference in RCN was insignificant. RCN exhibited irregular large fluctuations in the middle layer, with mean values of 20.9 ± 4.0 and 17.3 ± 8.1 for cores 4 and 5, respectively. RCP and RNP declined rapidly with time, indicating that the losses of C and N might be higher than that of P. ROCN, ROCP, and RONP followed the same vertical decreasing pattern as RCN, RCP, and RNP, but RICN and RINP did not. Mineralization could be the primary driver and different sources played a regulatory role in the temporal variation of stoichiometry.

Conclusions

Sediment stoichiometry (RCN, RCP, RNP) decreased with time might be mainly due to selective outcome of mineralization and be regulated by different organic matter sources. RCP, ROCP, RNP, and RONP showed significantly decreasing trends with age, whereas RCN and ROCN were relatively consistent. Vertical distribution of inorganic ratios differed from that of organic and total proportions. Further research is needed to determine influencing factors on these ratios and to clarify the role of C/N/P stoichiometry in freshwater ecosystems.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Algesten G, Sobek S, Bergstrom AK, Agren A, Tranvik LJ, Jansson M (2004) Role of lakes for organic carbon cycling in the boreal zone. Glob Chang Biol 10:141–147

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson NJ, Bennion H, Lotter AF (2014) Lake eutrophication and its implications for organic carbon sequestration in Europe. Glob Chang Biol 20:2741–2751

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Arbuckle KE, Downing JA (2001) The influence of watershed land use on lake N:P in a predominantly agricultural landscape. Limnol Oceanogr 46:970–975

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardoso-Silva S, Ferreira PA, Figueira RCL et al (2018) Factors that control the spatial and temporal distributions of phosphorus, nitrogen, and carbon in the sediments of a tropical reservoir. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25:31776

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cleveland CC, Liptzin D (2007) C:N:P stoichiometry in soil: is there a “Redfield ratio” for the microbial biomass? Biogeochem 85:235–252

    Google Scholar 

  • Cole JJ, Prairie YT, Caraco NF, McDowell WH, Tranvik LJ, Striegl RG, Duarte CM, Kortelainen P, Downing JA, Middelburg JJ (2007) Plumbing the global carbon cycle: integrating inland waters into the terrestrial carbon budget. Ecosyst 10:171–184

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Datta DK, Gupta LP, Subramanian V (1999) Distribution of C, N and P in the sediments of the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna river system in the Bengal basin. Org Geochem 30:75–82

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Downing JA, Cole JJ, Middelburg JJ, Striegl RG, Duarte CM, Kortelainen P, Prairie YT, Laube KA (2008) Sediment organic carbon burial in agriculturally eutrophic impoundments over the last century. Glob Biogeochem Cycles 22:GB1018. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GB002854

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Elser JJ, Hassett RP (1994) A stoichiometric analysis of the zooplankton-phytoplankton interaction in marine and freshwater ecosystems. Nature 124:125–129

    Google Scholar 

  • Elser JJ, Kyle M, Steger L, Nydick KR, Baron JS (2009a) Nutrient availability and phytoplankton nutrient limitation across a gradient of atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Ecol 90:3062–3073

    Google Scholar 

  • Elser JJ, Sterner RW, Galford AE, Chrzanowski TH, Findlay DL, Mills KH, Paterson MJ, Stainton MP, Schindler DW (2000) Pelagic C:N:P stoichiometry in a eutrophied lake: responses to a whole-lake food-web manipulation. Ecosyst 3:293–307

    Google Scholar 

  • Elser JJ, Sterner RW, Gorokhova E, Fagan WF, Markow TA, Cotner JB, Harrison JF, Hobbie SE, Odell GM, Weider LW (2010) Biological stoichiometry from genes to ecosystems. Ecol Lett 3:540–550

    Google Scholar 

  • Elser JJ, Tom A, Baron JS, Ann-Kristin BM, Mats J, Marcia K, Nydick KR, Laura S, Hessen DO (2009b) Shifts in lake N:P stoichiometry and nutrient limitation driven by atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Science 326:835–837

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Emeis KC, Struck U, Leipe T, Pollehne F, Kunzendorf H, Christiansen C (2000) Changes in the C, N, P burial rates in some Baltic Sea sediments over the last 150 years—relevance to P regeneration rates and the phosphorus cycle. Mar Geol 167(1-2):43–59

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Frost PC, Kinsman LE, Johnston CA, Larson JH (2009) Watershed discharge modulates relationships between landscape components and nutrient ratios in stream seston. Ecol 90:1631–1640

    Google Scholar 

  • Galloway JN, Dentener FJ, Capone DG, Boyer EW, Howarth RW, Seitzinger SP, Asner GP, Cleveland CC, Green PA, Holland EA, Karl DM, Michaels AF, Porter JH, Townsend AR, Vorosmarty CJ (2004) Nitrogen cycles: past, present, and future. Biogeochem 70:153–226

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Galman V, Rydberg J, de Luna SS, Bindler R, Renberg I (2008) Carbon and nitrogen loss rates during aging of lake sediment: changes over 27 years studied in varved lake sediment. Limnol Oceanogr 53:1076–1082

    Google Scholar 

  • Graneli E, Weberg M, Salomon PS (2008) Harmful algal blooms of allelopathic microalgal species: the role of eutrophication. Harmful Algae 8:94–102

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gudasz C, Bastviken D, Premke K, Steger K, Tranvik LJ (2012) Constrained microbial processing of allochthonous organic carbon in boreal lake sediments. Limnol Oceanogr 57:163–175

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gudasz C, Bastviken D, Steger K, Premke K, Sobek S, Tranvik LJ (2010) Temperature-controlled organic carbon mineralization in lake sediments. Nature 466:478–481

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guillemette F, von Wachenfeldt E, Kothawala DN, Bastviken D, Tranvik LJ (2017) Preferential sequestration of terrestrial organic matter in boreal lake sediments. J Geophys Res Biogeosci 122:863–874

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Han WX, Fang JY, Guo DL, Zhang Y (2005) Leaf nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry across 753 terrestrial plant species in China. New Phytol 168:377–385

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heathcote AJ, Downing JA (2012) Impacts of eutrophication on carbon burial in freshwater lakes in an intensively agricultural landscape. Ecosyst 15:60–70

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heberling JM, Fridley JD (2012) Biogeographic constraints on the world-wide leaf economics spectrum. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 21:1137–1146

    Google Scholar 

  • Hecky RE, Campbell P, Hendzel LL (1993) The stoichiometry of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in particulate matter of lakes and oceans. Limnol Oceanogr 38:709–724

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hessen DO (2006) Determinants of seston C:P ratio in lakes. Freshw Biol 51:1560–1569

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hilt S, Brothers S, Jeppesen E, Veraart AJ, Kosten S (2017) Translating regime shifts in shallow lakes into changes in ecosystem functions and services. Biosci 67:928–936

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu C, Li F, Xie YH, Deng ZM, Chen XS (2018) Soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus stoichiometry of three dominant plant communities distributed along a small scale elevation gradient in the East Dongting Lake. Phys Chem Earth 103:28–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu X, Wu P (2005) Method of salicylate-hypochlorous acid ameliorated for determine ammonia nitrogen. Arid Environ Monit 19:184–185

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang C, Chen Z, Gao Y, Luo Y, Huang T, Zhu A, Yang H, Yang B (2019) Enhanced mineralization of sedimentary organic carbon induced by excess carbon from phytoplankton in a eutrophic plateau lake. J Soils Sediments 19:2613–2623

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang C, Wang X, Yang H, Li Y, Wang Y, Chen X, Xu L (2014) Satellite data regarding the eutrophication response to human activities in the plateau lake Dianchi in China from 1974 to 2009. Sci Total Environ 485-486:1–11

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang C, Yao L, Zhang Y, Huang T, Zhang M, Zhu AX, Yang H (2017a) Spatial and temporal variation in autochthonous and allochthonous contributors to increased organic carbon and nitrogen burial in a plateau lake. Sci Total Environ 603-604:390–400

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang C, Zhang L, Li Y, Lin C, Huang T, Zhang M, Zhu AX, Yang H, Wang X (2017b) Carbon and nitrogen burial in a plateau lake during eutrophication and phytoplankton blooms. Sci Total Environ 616-617:296–304

    Google Scholar 

  • Jonsson A, Meili M, Bergstrom AK, Jansson M (2001) Whole-lake mineralization of allochthonous and autochthonous organic carbon in a large humic lake (Ortrasket, N. Sweden). Limnol Oceanogr 46:1691–1700

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kastowski M, Hinderer M, Vecsei A (2011) Long-term carbon burial in European lakes: analysis and estimate. Glob Biogeochem Cycles 25:GB3019. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GB003874

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Larsen S, Andersen T, Hessen DO (2011) Climate change predicted to cause severe increase of organic carbon in lakes. Glob Chang Biol 17:1186–1192

    Google Scholar 

  • Liess A, Drakare S, Kahlert M (2009) Atmospheric nitrogen-deposition may intensify phosphorus limitation of shallow epilithic periphyton in unproductive lakes. Freshw Biol 54:1759–1773

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu WL (2014) Content of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in wetland ecosystem of Jiaozhou Bay and its ecological chemometric characteristics. Qiingdao University

  • Maranger R, Jones SE, Cotner JB (2018) Stoichiometry of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus through the freshwater pipe. Limnol Oceanogr Lett 3:89–101

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Martiny AC, Pham CTA, Primeau FW, Vrugt JA, Moore JK, Levin SA, Lomas MW (2013) Strong latitudinal patterns in the elemental ratios of marine plankton and organic matter. Nat Geosci 6:279–283

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mendonca R, Mueller RA, Clow D, Verpoorter C, Raymond P, Tranvik LJ, Sobek S (2017) Organic carbon burial in global lakes and reservoirs. Nat Commun 8:1694. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-01789-6

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Michaels AF (2003) The ratios of life. Science 300:906–907

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Paerl HW, Scott JT, McCarthy MJ, Newell SE, Gardner WS, Havens KE, Hoffman DK, Wilhelm SW, Wurtsbaugh WA (2016) It takes two to tango: when and where dual nutrient (N & P) reductions are needed to protect lakes and downstream ecosystems. Environ Sci Technol 50:10805–10813

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Putyrskaya V, Klemt E, Roellin S, Astner M, Sahli H (2015) Dating of sediments from four Swiss prealpine lakes with Pb-210 determined by gamma-spectrometry: progress and problems. J Environ Radioact 145:78–94

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Redfield AC (1960) The biological control of chemical factors in the environment. Sci Prog 11:150–170

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reich PB, Oleksyn J (2004) Global patterns of plant leaf N and P in relation to temperature and latitude. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 101:11001–11006

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robertson DM, Schladow SG, Holdren GC (2008) Long-term changes in the phosphorus loading to and trophic state of the Salton Sea, California. Hydrobiologia 604:21–36

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruban V, Lopez-Sanchez JF, Pardo P, Rauret G, Muntau H, Quevauviller P (2001) Harmonized protocol and certified reference material for the determination of extractable contents of phosphorus in freshwater sediments—a synthesis of recent works. Fresenius J Anal Chem 370:224–228

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schindler DW (2003) Ecological stoichiometry: the biology of elements from molecules to the biosphere. Nature 423:225–226

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sinsabaugh RL et al (2008) Stoichiometry of soil enzyme activity at global scale. Ecol Lett 11:1252–1264

    Google Scholar 

  • Sobek S, Durisch-Kaiser E, Zurbruegg R, Wongfun N, Wessels M, Pasche N, Wehrli B (2009) Organic carbon burial efficiency in lake sediments controlled by oxygen exposure time and sediment source. Limnol Oceanogr 54:2243–2254

    Google Scholar 

  • Stackpoole SM, Butman DE, Clow DW, Verdin KL, Gaglioti BV, Genet H, Striegl RG (2017) Inland waters and their role in the carbon cycle of Alaska. Ecol Appl 27:1403–1420

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanley EH, Casson NJ, Christel ST, Crawford JT, Loken LC, Oliver SK (2016) The ecology of methane in streams and rivers: patterns, controls, and global significance. Ecol Monogr 86:146–171

    Google Scholar 

  • Sterner RW, Elser JJ, Fee EJ, Guildford SJ, Chrzanowski TH (1997) The light: nutrient ratio in lakes: the balance of energy and materials affects ecosystem structure and process. Am Nat 150:663–684

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson F, Cole M (1987) Cycles of soils: carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, micronutrients. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • They NH, Amado AM, Cotner JB (2017) Redfield ratios in inland waters: higher biological control of C:N:P ratios in tropical semi-arid high water residence time lakes. Front Microbiol 8:GB1505. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2017.01505

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tian H, Chen G, Zhang C, Melillo JM, Hall CAS (2010) Pattern and variation of C:N:P ratios in China’s soils: a synthesis of observational data. Biogeochem 98:139–151

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tranvik LJ et al (2009) Lakes and reservoirs as regulators of carbon cycling and climate. Limnol Oceanogr 54:2298–2314

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Turner RE, Rabalais NN, Justic D, Dortch Q (2003) Global patterns of dissolved N, P and Si in large rivers. Biogeochem 64:297–317

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vrede T, Ballantyne A, Mille-Lindblom C, Algesten G, Gudasz C, Lindahl S, Brunberg AK (2009) Effects of N:P loading ratios on phytoplankton community composition, primary production and N fixation in a eutrophic lake. Freshw Biol 54:331–344

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walker JC (1991) Biogeochemical cycles. Science 253:686–687

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wright IJ, Reich PB, Cornelissen JHC, Falster DS, Garnier E, Hikosaka K, Lamont BB, Lee W, Oleksyn J, Osada N, Poorter H, Villar R, Warton DI, Westoby M (2005) Assessing the generality of global leaf trait relationships. New Phytol 166:485–496

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu Y, Huang T, Huang C, Shen Y, Luo Y, Yang H, Yu Y, Li R, Gao Y, Zhang M (2018) Internal loads and bioavailability of phosphorus and nitrogen in Dianchi Lake, China. Chin Geogr Sci 28:851–862

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang Y, Liu QG, Hu ZJ, et al (2014) Distribution and pollution assessment of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in sediments of Taihu Lake Basin. Acta Scientiae Circumstantiae 34(12):3057–3064

  • Yu JB, Chen XB, Sun ZG, et al (2010) The spatial distribution characteristics of soil nutrients in new-born coastal wetland in the Yellow River delta. Acta Scientiae Circumstantiae 30(4):855–861

  • Zehr JP, Ward BB (2002) Nitrogen cycling in the ocean: new perspectives on processes and paradigms. Appl Environ Microbiol 68:1015–1024

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang N, Li HJ, Yuan LW, Li W (2010) Analysis of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in surface sediments of typical lakes and lakeside zones in the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. Journal of Shanxi Normal University (Natural Science Edition) 38(03):70–75

  • Zhang Y, Liu M, Qin B, Woerd HJVD, Li J, Li Y (2009) Modeling remote-sensing reflectance and retrieving chlorophyll-a concentration in extremely turbid case-2 waters (Lake Taihu, China). IEEE T Geosci Remote 47:1937–1948

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang ZS, Lu XG, Song XL, Guo Y, Xue ZS (2012) Soil C, N and P stoichiometry of Deyeuxia angustifolia and Carex lasiocarpa wetlands in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China. J Soils Sediment 12:1309–1315

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang ZS, Song XL, Lu XG (2013) Ecological stoichiometry of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in estuarine wetland soils: influences of vegetation coverage, plant communities, geomorphology, and seawalls. J Soils Sediments 13:1043–1051

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.cn) for English language editing.

Funding

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant nos. 41773097, 41673108), a project funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, the State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment (2016SKL005), and the Jiangsu Planned Projects for Postdoctoral Research Funds.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, People’s Republic of China

    Fang Tang, Tao Huang, Rong Fan, Duan Luo, Hao Yang & Changchun Huang

  2. Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, People’s Republic of China

    Tao Huang, Hao Yang & Changchun Huang

  3. Key Laboratory of Virtual Geographic Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Ministry of Education, Nanjing, 210023, People’s Republic of China

    Tao Huang, Hao Yang & Changchun Huang

  4. State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Geographical Environment Evolution (Jiangsu Province), Nanjing, 210023, People’s Republic of China

    Tao Huang, Hao Yang & Changchun Huang

Authors
  1. Fang Tang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tao Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rong Fan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Duan Luo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Hao Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Changchun Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Changchun Huang.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Shiming Ding

Publisher’s note

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

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tang, F., Huang, T., Fan, R. et al. Temporal variation in sediment C, N, and P stoichiometry in a plateau lake during sediment burial. J Soils Sediments 20, 1706–1718 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-019-02501-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-019-02501-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation