Phosphorus transformations at the sediment-water interface in shallow freshwater ecosystems caused by decomposition...

We studied the processes and mechanisms that drove phosphorus (P) release and transformations at the sediment-water interface (SWI) because of the decomposition of plant debris. The results showed that, as the simulation time increased, the pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and oxidation reduction potential (ORP) in Duckweed+Sediment+Water (DWS) and Duckweed+Water (DW) initially decreased and then increased before stabilizing. Changes in the physicochemical characteristics affect the microhabitat and the release and transformations of P at the SWI. The initial flux of total P (TP), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) was 886, 515, and 441 mg m^-2 d^-1 in DWS and 626, 376, and 330 mg m^-2 d^-1 in DW, respectively. As the plant debris decomposed, the fluxes of TP, TDP, and SRP decreased, and after 11 days, the fluxes remained at around 0 mg m^-2 d^-1. The dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) flux followed different trends in DWS and DW, and increased first to a maximum of 285 and 109 mg m^-2 d^-1, respectively, by day 6. The results of this study indicate that plant debris decomposition drive P transformations at the SWI in shallow freshwater ecosystems. Therefore, to control internal sources and transformations of P, plant debris should be removed and harvested. This study also indicates that intervention is needed to ensure the health of freshwater ecosystems, and we cannot hope to get satisfactory results from only improving the national wastewater discharge standards.