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Tuesday, May 19, 2009
202
Quantifying the role of organic carbon in an aquatic ecosystem
Angela L. Defore and Bopaiah A. Biddanda. Grand Valley State University, Annis Water Resources Institute, 740 West Shoreline Drive, Muskegon, MI 49441
Aquatic ecosystems can receive significant amounts of inorganic nutrients and Carbon (C) compounds from the terrestrial environment. Allochthonous as well as autochthonous inputs affect biogeochemical processing within the aquatic system. However, studies quantifying the annual seasonal cycle of nutrients and C by autotrophic and heterotrophic communities in production (P) and respiration (R) in the freshwater aquatic environment are seriously lacking, but crucial to our understanding of the carbon cycle. This study will investigate the spatio-temporal variability of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nutrient concentration in a freshwater ecosystem (Muskegon Lake, Muskegon County, Michigan) to determine the influence of the terrestrial environment, and examine the trophic interaction between phytoplankton and bacterial communities. In addition, discrete and continuous measurements of P and R will give a better representation of community metabolism and the rate at which these communities control the flow of energy, nutrients and organic matter storage in a freshwater ecosystem. Preliminary work indicates a consistent P/R > 1, and thus an accumulation of organic matter. This work could potentially identify factors that affect the movement of C in a freshwater aquatic ecosystem and the influence of community metabolism on organic matter storage and the subsequent available energy to benthic invertebrates.
Web Page: Carbon, Biogeochemistry, Lake metabolism
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See more of The NABS 57th Annual Meeting (16-23 May, 2009)
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See more of The NABS 57th Annual Meeting (16-23 May, 2009)