Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Terrestrial dissolved organic carbon consumption by heterotrophic bacterioplankton in the Huanghe River estuary during water and sediment regulation

  • Ecology
  • Published:
Journal of Oceanology and Limnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Nearly 20%–50% of the annual terrestrial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the Huanghe (Yellow) River was transported to the estuary during the 5–14 d of water and sediment regulation. The concentration of DOC increased sharply during the period of water and sediment regulation, which may promote the terrestrial DOC consumption by heterotrophic bacterioplankton. Water and sediment regulation provides an ideal condition for the study of terrestrial DOC consumption by heterotrophic bacterioplankton when terrestrial DOC increases sharply in rainy season, which may help to seek the fates of terrestrial DOC in the estuaries and coasts. In this study, the concentration and stable isotope of DOC, the biomass, growth, and respiration of heterotrophic bacterioplankton were determined. By the study, we found both average percent contribution of terrestrial DOC to the DOC pool and Contribution of terrestrial DOC to the carbon composition of heterotrophic bacterioplankton decreased as distance from the river mouth increased offshore, which was deceased from (39.2±4.0)%, (37.5±4.3)% to (30.3±3.9)%, (28.2±3.9)% respectively. 255–184 μg C/(L d) terrestrial DOC was consumed by heterotrophic bacterioplankton. And 29%–45% terrestrial DOC consumed by heterotrophic bacterioplankton releasing as CO2 by respiration. Comparing with tropical estuary, terrestrial DOC consumed by heterotrophic bacterioplankton was lower in temperate estuary (this study). Temperature may limit the consumption of terrestrial DOC by heterotrophic bacterioplankton.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abrantes K G, Barnett A, Bouillon S. 2013. Stable isotope-based community metrics as a tool to identify patterns in food web structure in east African estuaries. Functional Ecology, 28(1): 270–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abrantes K G, Sheaves M. 2010. Importance of freshwater flow in terrestrial-aquatic energetic connectivity in intermittently connected estuaries of tropical Australia. Marine Biology, 157(9): 2071–2086.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abrantes K, Sheaves M. 2008. Incorporation of terrestrial wetland material into aquatic food webs in a tropical estuarine wetland. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 80(3): 401–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asmala E, Autio R, Kaartokallio H, Pitkänen L, Stedmon C A, Thomas D N. 2013. Bioavailability of riverine dissolved organic matter in three Baltic Sea estuaries and the effect of catchment land use. Biogeosciences, 10(11): 6969–6986

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atwood T B, Wiegner T N, MacKenzie R A. 2012. Effects of hydrological forcing on the structure of a tropical estuarine food web. Oikos, 121(2): 277–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bai J, Li K R, Li Z Y, Sun J, Wei H, Liu S M, Wu Z M. 2003. Relationship between the environmental factors and distribution of bacterioplankton in the Bohai Sea. Journal of Ocean University of Qingdao, 33(6): 841–846. (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlson C A, Ducklow H W. 1996. Growth of bacterioplankton and consumption of dissolved organic carbon in the Sargasso Sea. Aquatic Microbial Ecology, 10: 69–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coffin R B, Fry B, Peterson B J, Wright R T. 1989. Carbon isotopic compositions of estuarine bacteria. Limnology and Oceanography, 34(7): 1305–1310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coffin R B, Velinsky D J, Devereux R, Price W A, Cifuentes L A. 1990. Stable carbon isotope analysis of nucleic acids to trace sources of dissolved substrates used by estuarine bacteria. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 56(7): 2012–2020.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gattuso J P, Frankignoulle M, Wollast R. 1998. Carbon and carbonate metabolism in coastal aquatic ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 29: 405–434.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hedges J I, Keil R G, Benner R. 1997. What happens to terrestrial organic matter in the ocean? Organic Geochemistry, 27(5–6): 195–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hitchcock J N, Mitrovic S M, Hadwen W L, Growns I O, Rohlfs A M. 2016a. Zooplankton responses to freshwater inflows and organic-matter pulses in a wave-dominated estuary. Marine and Freshwater Research, 67(9): 1374–1386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hitchcock J N, Mitrovic S M, Hadwen W L, Roelke D L, Growns I O, Rohlfs A M. 2016b. Terrestrial dissolved organic carbon subsidizes estuarine zooplankton: an in situ mesocosm study. Limnology and Oceanography, 61(1): 254–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hitchcock J N, Mitrovic S M. 2015. After the flood: changing dissolved organic carbon bioavailability and bacterial growth following inflows to estuaries. Biogeochemistry, 124(1–3): 219–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hitchman M L, 1978. Measurement of Dissolved Oxygen. Wiley, New York. 255p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hou R, Bai J, Liu X S, Gao H W, Zhao Y G. 2015. Response of heterotrophic bacterioplankton growth to exogenous nutrients in southern of South China Sea. Periodical of Ocean University of China, 45(10): 103–108. (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jansson M, Hickler T, Jonsson A, Karlsson J. 2008. Links between terrestrial primary production and bacterial production and respiration in lakes in a climate gradient in subarctic Sweden. Ecosystems, 11(3): 367–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaldy J E, Cifuentes L A, Brock D. 2005. Using stable isotope analyses to assess carbon dynamics in a shallow subtropical estuary. Estuaries and Coasts, 28(1): 86–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karlsson J, Jansson M, Jonsson A. 2007. Respiration of allochthonous organic carbon in unproductive forest lakes determined by the Keeling plot method. Limnology and Oceanography, 52(2): 603–608.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laruelle G G, Dürr H H, Slomp C P, Borges AV. 2010. Evaluation of sinks and sources of CO2 in the global coastal ocean using a spatially-explicit typology of estuaries and continental shelves. Geophysical Research Letters, 37(15): L15607.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Z Y, Zhang L J, Cai W J, Wang L, Xue M, Zhang X S. 2014. Removal of dissolved inorganic carbon in the Yellow River Estuary. Limnology and Oceanography, 59(2): 413–426.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Z Y. 2014. Carbon Transport and Flux in the Yellow River Estuary. Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China. p. 47–66. (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayorga A, Aufdenkampe A K, Masiello C A, Krusche A V, Hedges J I, Quay P D, Richey J E, Brown T A. 2005. Young organic matter as a source of carbon dioxide outgassing from Amazonian rivers. Nature, 436(7050): 538–541.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCallister S L, Bauer J E, Cherrier J E, Ducklow H W. 2004. Assessing sources and ages of organic matter supporting river and estuarine bacterial production: a multiple-isotope (Δ14C, δ13C, and δ15N) approach. Limnology and Oceanography, 49(5): 1687–1702.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCallister S L, Del Giorgio P A. 2008. Direct measurement of the δ13C signature of carbon respired by bacteria in lakes: linkages to potential carbon sources, ecosystem baseline metabolism, and CO2 fluxes. Limnology and Oceanography, 53(4): 1204–1216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mead L H, Wiegner T N. 2010. Surface water metabolism potential in a tropical estuary, Hilo Bay, Hawaii, USA, during storm and non-storm conditions. Estuaries and Coasts, 33(5): 1099–1112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Middelburg J J, Nieuwenhuize J. 1998. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in suspended matter and sediments from the Schelde Estuary. Marine Chemistry, 60(3–4): 217–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moran M A, Hodson R E. 1994. Support of bacterioplankton production by dissolved humic substances from three marine environments. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 110(2–3): 241–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moran M A, Sheldon W M, Sheldon J E. 1999. Biodegradation of riverine dissolved organic carbon in five estuaries of the southeastern United States. Estuaries and Coasts, 22(1): 55–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollard P C, Ducklow H. 2011. Ultrahigh bacterial production in a eutrophic subtropical Australian river: does viral lysis short-circuit the microbial loop? Limnology and Oceanography, 56(3): 1115–1129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raymond P A, Bauer J E. 2000. Bacterial consumption of DOC during transport through a temperate estuary. Aquatic Microbial Ecology, 22: 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raymond P A, Bauer J E. 2001. Riverine export of aged terrestrial organic matter to the North Atlantic Ocean. Nature, 409(6819): 497–500.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlesinger W H, Melack J M. 1981. Transport of organic carbon in the world’s rivers. Tellus, 33(2): 172–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith E M, Kemp W M. 2003. Planktonic and bacterial respiration along an estuarine gradient: responses to carbon and nutrient enrichment. Aquatic Microbial Ecology, 30: 251–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun T, Shen X M, Liu F F, Ma L K, Xu J, Pang A P. 2011. Effects of freshwater inflows on net ecosystem productivity in the Yellow River Estuary. Acta Scientiae Circumstantiae, 31(6): 1311–1319. (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang J. 2013. The Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Virioplankton and Correlation with Heterotrophic Bacteria in the Bohai Sea. Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China. p. 15–38. (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang M, Zhang L J, Gui Z S. 2011. Spatial and temporal transport of organic carbon in Changjiang mainstream and influence of three gorges project. Periodical of Ocean University of China, 41(1–2): 117–124. (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu L X, Zhao M, Li J W, He W J. 2015. The water sediment regulation characteristics analysis of the Yellow River estuary from 2002 to 2014. Journal of Shandong Forestry Science and Technology, 45(6): 23–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang L K, Qin X Q, Yang H, Huang Q B, Liu P Y. 2013. Transported fluxes of the riverine carbon and seasonal variation in pearl river basin. Environmental Science, 34(8): 3025–3034. (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang M L, Jiang M J, Fu X, Lv Z B, Zheng L. 2014. The source of organic matter in the sediment of Laizhou Bay. Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica, 45(4): 741–747. (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang M L, Qi Z H, Li B, Wang F, Han H Z. 2018. A preliminary study on energy contribution of terrestrial organic carbon to zooplankton in the Laizhou bay. Marine Fisheries, 40(3): 319–325. (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Restoration for Marine Ecology, Shandong Marine Resource and Environment Research Institute, Yantai, 264006, China

    Mingliang Zhang, Guanglei Yu, Fei Wang, Bin Li, Huizong Han & Tengteng Wang

  2. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fishery Ecology and Environment, South China Sea Fishery Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510300, China

    Zhanhuil Qi

Authors
  1. Mingliang Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Guanglei Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Fei Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Bin Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Huizong Han
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Zhanhuil Qi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Tengteng Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mingliang Zhang.

Additional information

Supported by the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fishery Ecology and Environment (No. LFE-2015-7), the China Agriculture Research System (No. CARS-47-Z14), and the Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of Shandong Marine and Fishery (No. 2017HY10)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, M., Yu, G., Wang, F. et al. Terrestrial dissolved organic carbon consumption by heterotrophic bacterioplankton in the Huanghe River estuary during water and sediment regulation. J. Ocean. Limnol. 37, 1062–1070 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-019-8108-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-019-8108-y

Keyword

Search

Navigation