Longitudinal changes in the structure and function of river ecosystems have long been recognized, yet our understanding of how such patterns shape elemental cycles remains limited. In particular, while benthic fine particulate organic matter (POM, 0.7–1000 μm) may control many stream nutrient cycles, less is known about longitudinal patterns or controls of benthic POM‐associated nutrient uptake. We conducted a survey of benthic POM‐associated respiration and nutrient uptake as well as microbial biomass (bacteria and algae) and benthic POM composition in four size classes (0.7–53 μm, 53–106 μm, 106–250 μm, and 250–1000 μm) in six streams in the forested South Fork Eel River watershed (California), encompassing a longitudinal gradient in light availability and primary production. Benthic POM at downstream sites was composed of smaller particles with lower organic matter content that were richer in nitrogen and autotrophic material. Areal respiration and nutrient uptake rates increased 11‐ to 67‐fold with stream size. While microbial activity rates did not increase with stream size, benthic POM‐associated microbial biomass increased 20‐fold with stream size, and closely tracked a 15‐fold increase in light availability, and primary production. Thus, microbial biomass, not activity, determined longitudinal patterns in benthic POM‐associated areal nutrient uptake and respiration rates. We attribute longitudinal patterns in microbial biomass to increases in light availability and primary production. Our findings help clarify the role of local (primary production) and upstream processes in shaping ecosystem structure and function.
Climate warming is affecting the structure and function of river ecosystems, including their role in transforming and transporting carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P). Predicting how river ecosystems respond to warming has been hindered by a dearth of information about how otherwise well‐studied physiological responses to temperature scale from organismal to ecosystem levels. We conducted an ecosystem‐level temperature manipulation to quantify how coupling of stream ecosystem metabolism and nutrient uptake responded to a realistic warming scenario. A ~3.3°C increase in mean water temperature altered coupling of C, N, and P fluxes in ways inconsistent with single‐species laboratory experiments. Net primary production tripled during the year of experimental warming, while whole‐stream N and P uptake rates did not change, resulting in 289% and 281% increases in autotrophic dissolved inorganic N and P use efficiency (
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10043926
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Global Change Biology
- Volume:
- 24
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 1354-1013
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 1069-1084
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
more » « less
Abstract -
more » « less
Abstract In drylands, where water scarcity limits vascular plant growth, much of the primary production occurs at the soil surface. This is where complex macro‐ and microbial communities, in an intricate bond with soil particles, form biological soil crusts (biocrusts). Despite their critical role in regulating C and N cycling in dryland ecosystems, there is limited understanding of the fate of biologically fixed C and N from biocrusts into the mineral soil, or how climate change will affect C and N fluxes between the atmosphere, biocrusts, and subsurface soils. To address these gaps, we subjected biocrust–soil systems to experimental warming and drought under controlled laboratory conditions, monitored CO2fluxes, and applied dual isotopic labeling pulses (13CO2and15N2). This allowed detailed quantification of elemental pathways into specific organic matter (OM) pools and microbial biomass via density fractionation and phospholipid fatty acid analyses. While biocrusts modulated CO2fluxes regardless of the temperature regime, drought severely limited their photosynthetic C uptake to the extent that the systems no longer sustained net C uptake. Furthermore, the effect of biocrusts extended into the underlying 1 cm of mineral soil, where C and N accumulated as mineral‐associated OM (MAOM<63μm). This was strongly associated with increased relative dominance of fungi, suggesting that fungal hyphae facilitate the downward C and N translocation and subsequent MAOM formation. Most strikingly, however, these pathways were disrupted in systems exposed to warming, where no effects of biocrusts on the elemental composition of the underlying soil nor on MAOM were determined. This was further associated with reduced net biological N fixation under combined warming and drought, highlighting how changing climatic conditions diminish some of the most fundamental ecosystem functions of biocrusts, with detrimental repercussions for C and N cycling and the persistence of soil organic matter pools in dryland ecosystems.
-
more » « less
Abstract Current understanding of the relationship between nitrate (NO3−) uptake and energy cycling in lotic environments comes from studies conducted in low‐nutrient (NO3− < 1 mg‐N L−1), small (discharge <1 m3s−1) systems. Recent advances in sensor technology have allowed for continuous estimates of whole‐river NO3−uptake, allowing us to address how the relationship between nutrient uptake and metabolism changes over time and space in larger rivers. We used a six‐month, controlled nitrogen (N) waste release into the eighth order Kansas River (USA) as an ecosystem level nutrient addition experiment. We deployed four NO3−and dissolved oxygen sensors along a 33 km study reach, from February to May 2018, to assess the spatiotemporal relationship between nutrient uptake and stream metabolism during the waste addition. Contrary to our prediction, we did not find evidence of uptake saturation despite an extreme increase in nutrient supply during winter, a period of generally lower biological activity. Although high uptake rates were observed across the study reach, they were uncorrelated to gross primary production. Overall, despite winter temperatures, NO3−uptake rates were high compared to small streams and rivers. We provide evidence that large rivers can be effective ecosystems for retaining and transforming nutrients, while showing that the fine‐scale mechanisms that regulate nutrient retention in large rivers are still largely unknown.
-
more » « less
Abstract We use the Multiple Element Limitation (MEL) model to examine responses of 12 ecosystems to elevated carbon dioxide (CO2), warming, and 20% decreases or increases in precipitation. Ecosystems respond synergistically to elevated CO2, warming, and decreased precipitation combined because higher water‐use efficiency with elevated CO2and higher fertility with warming compensate for responses to drought. Response to elevated CO2, warming, and increased precipitation combined is additive. We analyze changes in ecosystem carbon (C) based on four nitrogen (N) and four phosphorus (P) attribution factors: (1) changes in total ecosystem N and P, (2) changes in N and P distribution between vegetation and soil, (3) changes in vegetation C:N and C:P ratios, and (4) changes in soil C:N and C:P ratios. In the combined CO2and climate change simulations, all ecosystems gain C. The contributions of these four attribution factors to changes in ecosystem C storage varies among ecosystems because of differences in the initial distributions of N and P between vegetation and soil and the openness of the ecosystem N and P cycles. The net transfer of N and P from soil to vegetation dominates the C response of forests. For tundra and grasslands, the C gain is also associated with increased soil C:N and C:P. In ecosystems with symbiotic N fixation, C gains resulted from N accumulation. Because of differences in N versus P cycle openness and the distribution of organic matter between vegetation and soil, changes in the N and P attribution factors do not always parallel one another. Differences among ecosystems in C‐nutrient interactions and the amount of woody biomass interact to shape ecosystem C sequestration under simulated global change. We suggest that future studies quantify the openness of the N and P cycles and changes in the distribution of C, N, and P among ecosystem components, which currently limit understanding of nutrient effects on C sequestration and responses to elevated CO2and climate change.
-
In lakes, ecosystem structure and processes are influenced by gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (R), and net ecosystem production (NEP). The rates of these metabolic processes are often controlled by resource availability, which often reflects catchment loads. Although the relationship between catchment loads and in-lake nutrient concentrations may be well defined in specific lakes, we explored how watershed vs. in-lake predictors of metabolism compare across lake types. To do this, we combined stream loads of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) with high frequency in situ monitoring of lake metabolism and in-lake C, N, and P concentrations from 16 lakes spanning a range of latitudes (39 to 64 degrees N), inflowing stream (0 - 6 streams), and trophic status (oligotrophic to eutrophic). The data package includes high-frequency dissolved oxygen, water temperature, wind speed, and solar radiation data as well as daily estimates of GPP, R, and NEP derived from those data. In addition, the data package includes in-lake and stream concentrations of dissolved organic carbon, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus and stream discharge data. The package also includes estimates of daily carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus loading to each lake derived from the stream concentrations and discharge.more » « less
