Abstract
Purpose
Lake sediment is an important carbon reservoir, and knowledge of organic carbon distribution and its controlling factors can provide insights into the effects of natural processes and anthropogenic pressures on carbon dynamics in drainage basin.
Materials and methods
Here, we combined total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and their stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) with a Bayesian isotope mixing model to identify the origin of organic matter (OM) and the key factors influencing OM accumulation in surface sediments from Lake Yangzong (YZ) and Lake Chenghai (CH), located on the Yunnan Plateau, SW China.
Results and discussion
The δ13C values in surface sediments from YZ showed a gradual increase from south to north, with an asynchronous decrease in δ15N, suggesting an increasing contribution of pollutants originating from the Yangzong River. In contrast, CH was characterized by a rapid decrease in δ13C and an increase in δ15N values occurring in the deepest part of the lake, indicating that water depth may play an important role in OM accumulation in the lake. Allochthonous OM (C3 plant and soil OM) was the dominant sediment OM source for surface sediments in YZ, while substantial contributions of OM originated from plankton, soil OM, and sewage in CH.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that trophic state and terrestrial input may exert large impact on OM accumulation in deep lakes, which results in different distribution patterns of OM sources.
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Funding
This work is supported by the National Science Foundation of China (41820104008), the Yunnan Provincial government Leading Scientist Program (No.2015HA024), and the basic research program of Yunnan province (No. 202101AT070049).
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Duan, L., Zhang, H., Chang, F. et al. Isotopic constraints on sources of organic matter in surface sediments from two north–south oriented lakes of the Yunnan Plateau, Southwest China. J Soils Sediments 22, 1597–1608 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03191-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03191-2