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Resource quantity affects benthic microbial community structure and growth efficiency in a temperate intertidal

Daniel J Mayor1, Barry Thornton, Alain F Zuur

  • 1Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Oceanlab, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom. dan.mayor@abdn.ac.uk

Plos One
|June 23, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Estuaries are vital carbon sinks, but increased organic matter from eutrophication alters microbial communities. This study shows higher carbon availability boosts bacterial growth and carbon dioxide release from estuarine sediments.

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Area of Science:

  • Marine microbial ecology
  • Biogeochemical cycling
  • Estuarine science

Background:

  • Estuaries, despite small marine coverage, significantly impact global carbon cycling via carbon dioxide (CO2) efflux.
  • Anthropogenic eutrophication elevates labile organic substrates in estuarine sediments, altering microbial functions.
  • The specific effects of increased substrate supply on benthic microbial communities remain poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the response of a temperate estuarine benthic microbial community to varying levels of organic carbon.
  • To quantify changes in carbon mineralization, bacterial biomass incorporation, and bacterial growth efficiency.
  • To determine how organic carbon supply affects the fate of carbon within microbial communities.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a carbon-13 pulse-chase experiment to trace organic carbon.
  • Applied different concentrations of marine diatom-derived organic carbon (4.16, 41.60, and 416.00 mmol C m⁻²).
  • Analyzed carbon mineralization, bacterial biomass, and microbial membrane fatty acid composition.

Main Results:

  • Both carbon mineralization and incorporation into bacterial biomass increased significantly with higher substrate availability.
  • Bacterial growth efficiency rose from 0.40 ± 0.02 to 0.55 ± 0.04 with increased substrate supply.
  • The distribution of diatom-derived carbon within microbial membrane fatty acids varied based on resource levels.

Conclusions:

  • Increased labile organic substrate supply in estuaries can enhance carbon retention in sediments.
  • Higher organic carbon inputs may lead to increased carbon dioxide outgassing from estuarine environments.
  • Estuarine microbial communities exhibit dynamic responses to changing organic carbon loads, influencing global carbon budgets.