Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Dissolved organic matter composition in a fragmented Mediterranean fluvial system under severe drought conditions

  • Published:
Biogeochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In Mediterranean regions, drought is one of the main factors shaping fluvial ecosystems. Droughts cause a shift from lotic to lentic conditions, triggering a gradual fragmentation of the longitudinal hydrological continuum, and a severe alteration of water chemical properties. However, within a biogeochemical perspective, little is known about how and to which extend droughts modify the chemical properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM). In this study, the variability of DOM properties along a fragmented fluvial system is explored, during a summer severe drought, by means of (a) the ratio between dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations (DOC:DON); (b) DOC bioavailability (BDOC) and (c) DOM optical properties (SUVA index, fluorescence index, and excitation–emission fluorescence matrices). DOM and water measurements were collected from isolated water parcels that became disconnected from the fluvial continuum at different times, and were compared with data obtained in the following autumn, when the fluvial continuum was re-established. Analysis of DOM chemical properties evidenced that these properties during drought clearly differed from those observed in autumn, but changes did not follow an arbitrary pattern. Thus, the sampling sites with lotic water bodies showed DOM properties similar to those observed in autumn reflecting the dominance of terrestrial inputs. But, once hydrological fragmentation occurred, there was a gradual increase in the contribution of autochthonous DOM as the time elapsed since the pools were established, and the geochemical conditions shifted from oxidized to reduced conditions. In consequence, the fragmentation of fluvial continuum generates a set of distinct biochemical hot spots (i.e., each water parcel), revealing that extreme drought greatly amplifies the qualitative heterogeneity of organic matter in a fluvial system.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acuña V, Munoz I, Giorgi A et al (2005) Drought and postdrought recovery cycles in an intermittent Mediterranean stream: structural and functional aspects. J N Am Benthol Soc 24(4):919–933

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amon RMW, Benner R (1996) Bacterial utilization of different size classes of dissolved organic matter. Limnol Oceanogr 41:41–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Battin TJ, Kaplan LA, Findlay S et al (2008) Biophysical controls on organic carbon fluxes in fluvial networks. Nat Geosci 1(2):95–100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernal S, Butturini A, Sabater F (2005) Seasonal variations of dissolved nitrogen and DOC:DON ratios in an intermittent Mediterranean stream. Biogeochemistry 75:351–372

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bertoldi W, Zanoni L, Tubino M (2009) Planiform dynamics of braided streams. Earth Surf Process Landform 34(4):547–557

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bleich ME, Moraes Lima Silveira R, Barros Nogueira FM (2009) Limnological patterns in Northern pantanal lagoons. Brazil Arch Biol Technol 52(3):755–764

    Google Scholar 

  • Bostrom B, Andersen JM, Fleischer S, Jansson M (1988) Exchange of phosphorus across the sediment–water interface. Hydrobiologia 170:229–244

    Google Scholar 

  • Butturini A, Bernal S, Nin E (2003) Influences of the stream groundwater hydrology on nitrate concentration in unsaturated riparian area bounded by an intermittent Mediterranean stream. Water Resour Res 39(4):1110–1123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butturini A, Alvarez M, Bernal S, Vazquez E, Sabater F (2008) Diversity and temporal sequences of forms of DOC and NO3-discharge responses in an intermittent stream: predictable or random succession? J Geophys Res 113(G3):3016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark JM, Chapman PJ, Adamson JK, Lane SN (2005) Influence of drought-induced acidification on the mobility of dissolved organic carbon in peat soils. Global Change Biol 11:791–809

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coble PG (1996) Characterization of marine and terrestrial DOM in seawater using excitation–emission matrix spectroscopy. Mar Chem 51:325–346

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dahm CN, Baker MA, Moore DI, Thibault JR (2003) Coupled biogeochemical and hydrological responses of streams and rivers to drought. Freshw Biol 48:1219–1231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fazi S, Amalfitano S, Piccini C et al (2008) Colonization of overlaying water by bacteria from dry river sediments. Environ Micorbiol 10(10):2760–2772

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fellman JB, D’Amore DV, Hood E, Boon RD (2008) Fluorescence characteristics and biodegradability of dissolved organic matter in forest and wetland soils from coastal temperate watersheds in southeast Alaska. Biogeochemistry 88:169–184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freeman C, Fenner N, Ostle NJ et al (2004) Export of dissolved organic carbon from peatlands under elevated carbon dioxide levels. Nature 430:195–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gasith A, Resh VH (1999) Streams in Mediterranean climate regions: abiotic influences and biotic responses to predictable seasonal events. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 30:51–81

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hach Company (1992) Analysis handbook, 2nd edn. Hach Company, Loveland, Co

    Google Scholar 

  • Hedin LO, Armesto JJ, Johnson AH (1995) Patterns of nutrient loss from unpolluted, old-growth temperate forests. Evaluation of biogeochemical theory. Ecology 76:493–509

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hood E, McKnight DM, Williams MW (2003) Sources and chemical character of dissolved organic carbon across an alpine/subalpine ecotone, Green Lakes Valley, Colorado Front Range, United States. Water Resour Res 39(7):1188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hood E, Gooseff MN, Johnson SL (2006) Changes in the character of stream water dissolved organic carbon during flushing in three small watersheds, Oregon. J Geophys Res 111(G1):1007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jaffé R, McKnight D, Maie N et al (2008) Spatial and temporal variations in DOM composition in ecosystems: the importance of long-term monitoring of optical properties. J Geophys Res 113(G4):4032

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser E, Arscott DB, Tockner K, Sulzberger B (2004) Sources and distribution of organic carbon and nitrogen in the Tagliamento River, Italy. Aquat Sci 66:103–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keeney DR, Nelson DW (1982) Nitrogen inorganic forms. In: Page AL (ed) Methods of soil analysis, part 2. Chemical and microbiological properties. Agronomy monographs # 9. AA-SSSA Publisher, pp 643–698

  • Kirchner JW, Feng XH, Neal C (2004) The fine structure of water-quality dynamics: the (high-frequency) wave of the future. Hydrol Process 18:1353–1359

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lake PS (2003) Ecological effects of perturbation by drought in flowing waters. Freshw Biol 48:1161–1172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McClain ME et al (2004) Biogeochemical hot spots and hot moments at the interface of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Ecosystems 6:301–312

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell WH, Zsolnay A, Aitkenheah-Peterson JA et al (2006) A comparison of methods to determine the biodegradable dissolved organic carbon from different terrestrial sources. Soil Biol Biochem 38(7):1933–1942

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKnight D, Boyer BW, Westerhof PK et al (2001) Spectrofluorometric characterization of dissolved organic matter for indication of precursor organic material and aromaticity. Limnol Oceanogr 46(1):38–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milori DMBP, Martín-Neto L, Bayer C et al (2002) Humification degree of soil humic acids determined by fluorescence spectroscopy. Soil Sci 167(11):739–749

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mladenov N, McKnight D et al (2007) Chemical characterization of DOM in channels of a seasonal wetland. Aquat Sci 69:456–471

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ninyerola M, Pons X, Roure JM (2000) A methodological approach of climatological modelling of air temperature and precipitation through GIS techniques. Int J Climatol 20:1823–1841

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parlanti E, Wörz K, Geoffroy L, Lamotte M (2000) Dissolved organic matter fluorescence spectroscopy as a tool to estimate biological activity in a coastal zone submitted to anthropogenic inputs. Org Geochem 31:1765–1781

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez-Zuñiga FU, Bastos Pereira DM, Lopes da Silva WT et al (2008) Changes in optical properties caused by UV-irradiation of aquatic humic substances from the Amazon River basin: seasonal variability evaluation. Environ Sci Technol 42:1948–1953

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Romaní AM, Vázquez E, Butturini A (2006) Microbial availability and size fractionation of dissolved organic carbon after drought in an intermittent stream: biogeochemical link across the stream–riparian interface. Microb Ecol 52:501–512

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubbo MJ, Cole JJ, Kiesecker JM (2006) Terrestrial subsidies of organic carbon support net ecosystem production in temporary forest ponds: evidence from an ecosystem experiment. Ecosystems 9:1170–1176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sachse A, Henrion R, Gelbrecht J, Steinberg CEW (2005) Classification of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in river systems: Influence of catchment characteristics and autochthonous processes. Org Geochem 36:923–935

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Servais P, Anzil A, Ventresque C (1989) Simple method for determination of biodegradable dissolved organic carbon in water. Appl Environ Microbiol 55:2732–2734

    Google Scholar 

  • Sobczak WV, Findlay S (2002) Variation in bioavailability of dissolved organic carbon among stream hyporheic flowpath. Ecology 83:3194–3209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanhope JW, Anderson IC, Reay WG (2009) Base flow nutrient discharges from lower Delmarva Peninsula watersheds of Virginia, USA. J Environ Qual 38:2070–2083

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stedmon CA, Markager S (2005a) Resolving the variability in dissolved organic matter fluorescence in a temperate estuary and its catchment using PARAFAC analysis. Limnol Oceanogr 50(2):686–697

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stedmon CA, Markager S (2005b) Tracing the production and degradation of autochthonous fractions of dissolved organic matter by fluorescence analysis. Limnol Oceanogr 50(5):1415–1426

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stedmon CA, Markager S, Bro R (2003) Tracing dissolved organic matter in aquatic environments using a new approach to fluorescence spectroscopy. Mar Chem 82:239–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stepanauskas R, Leonardson L (1999) Bioavailability of wetland-derived DON to freshwater and marine bacterioplankton. Limnol Oceanogr 44(6):1477–1485

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stubbins A, Hubbard V, Uher G et al (2008) Relating carbon monoxide photoproduction to dissolved organic matter functionality. Environ Sci Technol 42(9):3271–3276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vannote RL (1980) The river continuum concept. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 37(1):130–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vazquez E, Romani AM, Sabater F, Butturini A (2007) Effects of the dry–wet hydrological shift on dissolved organic carbon dynamics and fate across stream–riparian interface in a Mediterranean catchment. Ecosystems 10(2):239–251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vidon P, Wagner LE, Soyeux E (2008) Changes in the character of DOC in streams during storms in two Midwestern watersheds with contrasting land uses. Biogeochemistry 88:257–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weishaar JL, Aiken GR, Bergamaschi BA et al (2003) Evaluation of specific ultraviolet absorbance as an indicator of the chemical composition and reactivity of dissolved organic carbon. Environ Sci Technol 37:4072–4708

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson HF, Xenopoulos MA (2009) Effects of agricultural land use on the composition of fluvial dissolved organic matter. Nat Geosci 2:37–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Worrall F, Burt TP, Adamson JK (2006) Trends in drought frequency: the fate of DOC export from British peatlands. Clim Change 76(3–4):339–359

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the reviewers for strongly improving the earlier version of the manuscript. This study was funded by project CGL2007-0144/HID from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Stefano Fazi and Stefano Amalfitano participation was supported by project CSIC-CNR ref 2006IT0010. Andrea Butturini and Eusebi Vazques are members of the GRACCIE consortium.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament d’Ecologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Eusebi Vazquez & Andrea Butturini

  2. Istituto di Ricerca sulle Acque (IRSA-CNR), Area della Ricerca “Roma 1”, Via Salaria km 29,300, CP1000016, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy

    Stefano Amalfitano & Stefano Fazi

Authors
  1. Eusebi Vazquez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stefano Amalfitano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Stefano Fazi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Andrea Butturini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eusebi Vazquez.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Vazquez, E., Amalfitano, S., Fazi, S. et al. Dissolved organic matter composition in a fragmented Mediterranean fluvial system under severe drought conditions. Biogeochemistry 102, 59–72 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-010-9421-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-010-9421-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation