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A laboratory study on biochemical degradation and microbial utilization of organic matter comprising a marine diatom, land grass, and salt marsh plant in estuarine ecosystems

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Abstract

We studied the biochemical degradation of organic matter comprising marine diatom, land grass, and salt marsh plant in estuarine ecosystems in two laboratory microcosms consisting of estuarine sediments and coastal seawater. The materials were incubated separately and together under controlled oxic and anoxic conditions to test effects of co-metabolism and redox on overall degradation of organic matter. We followed variations of bulk parameters [total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), C/N ratio, δ13CTOC, and δ15NTN], fatty acid concentrations, and compound-specific δ13C values over 3 months. Coexistence of marine diatom (relatively labile) with land grass/salt marsh plant (relatively refractory) in the microcosms yielded a negative co-metabolism effect (retardation rather than acceleration) on the overall degradation of organic matter. The ratios of oxic to anoxic degradation rate constants (k ox/k an) of TOC and most fatty acids were in a range of 1.1–1.7, implying that redox conditions per se had a limited influence on degradation of fresh organic materials in estuarine ecosystems. Variations of two bacteria-specific fatty acids (iso- and anteiso-15:0) and their δ13C values indicated that bacterial metabolism could use organic carbon (OC) from any available material when only one single-source material was dominant in the ecosystems. However, bacteria probably utilized OC preferentially from labile marine diatom when multiple-source materials were almost equally present in the ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank T. Maddox who helps us with bulk parameter measurements. We are also grateful to the UGA Marine Institute at Sapelo Island for providing logistical support for sampling. This research was supported by U.S. National Science Foundation (grants OCE-0116786 and OCE-0526111).

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  1. Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Jihong Dai & Ming-Yi Sun

  2. Center for Applied Isotope Study, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Randolph A. Culp & John E. Noakes

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  1. Jihong Dai
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Correspondence to Ming-Yi Sun.

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Dai, J., Sun, MY., Culp, R.A. et al. A laboratory study on biochemical degradation and microbial utilization of organic matter comprising a marine diatom, land grass, and salt marsh plant in estuarine ecosystems. Aquat Ecol 43, 825–841 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-008-9211-x

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