Eco-hydrological modelling in a highly regulated lowland catchment to find measures for improving water quality

Water quality modelling in the meso-scale Rhin catchment in the German federal state Brandenburg was done (1) to answer some specific questions concerning identification of point and diffuse sources of nutrient pollution in the catchment, (2) to assess the influences of possible climate and land use changes on water quantity and quality and (3) to evaluate potential measures to be done in order to achieve a “good ecological status” of the river and its lakes as required by the Water Framework Directive (WFD).The Rhin catchment is a typical highly regulated lowland river basin in Northern Germany. The regulations complicate water quantity and quality modelling in the catchment. The research was done by using the eco-hydrological model SWIM (Soil and Water Integrated Model), which simulates water and nutrient fluxes in soil and vegetation, as well as transport of water and nutrients to and within the river network. The modelling period was from 1981 until 2005. After calibrating the hydrological processes at different gauges within the basin with satisfactory results, water quality (nitrogen and phosphorus) modelling was done taking into account the emissions of different point sources (sewage treatment plants, etc.) and identifying the amount of diffuse pollution caused mainly by agriculture.For suggesting some feasible measures to improve water quality and to reduce diffuse pollution considering possible climate and land use changes, different reasonable scenarios were applied in consultation with the Environmental Agency of Brandenburg (LUA). The study revealed that the amount of water discharge has significant influence on the concentration of nutrients in the river network, and that nitrogen pollution, caused mainly by diffuse sources, could be notably reduced by application of agricultural measures, whereas the pollution by phosphorus could be diminished most effectively by the reduction of point source emissions.     

Eutrophication and trophic structure in response to the presence of the eelgrass <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zostera noltii</Emphasis>

In estuaries, eelgrass meadows contribute to fundamental ecosystem functions of estuaries, providing food to several predators and buffering the negative effects of eutrophication. We asked whether the presence of the eelgrass Zostera noltii decreased the nitrogen concentration in the overlying water, affected the sources of nitrogen sequestrated by primary producers and changed the benthic and pelagic food web structures. We also studied the importance of these food webs in providing food to fish. We compared bare sediment to sediment covered by a Z. noltii meadow, and examined nutrient concentrations in the water column and δ¹⁵N in primary producers as indicators of anthropogenic inputs of nutrients. We then measured both δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N in the tissues of plants and consumers to establish food web structures. There were no differences in the concentrations and sources of nitrogen between sites. Rather, δ¹⁵N values indicated anthropogenic inputs of N (e.g. sewage discharges, agriculture) in both sites. There were no major differences in the structure of the planktonic food web, which was in part sustained by particulate organic matter and supported most predator fish, and in the structure of the benthic food web. Nonetheless, there were differences in the sources of food for omnivore consumers and for the detritivore Scrobicularia plana. Overall, the benthic food web did not use food derived from the eelgrass or macroalgae deposited on the substratum. Suspension feeders used particulate and sediment organic matter, whereas the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of the other consumers indicated a likely contribution of benthic microalgae. Furthermore, in both habitats we found large variability in the isotope signatures of benthic macrofauna consumers, which did not allow distinguishing clearly different trophic groups and indicated a high level of omnivory and a mixed diet opportunistically making use of the availability of food in the surroundings.     

淡水水体溶解有机氮对有毒藻种的生物有效性

溶解有机氮（Dissolved organic nitrogen,DON）是多数天然水体中溶解氮的主要组成部分。天然水体DON是许多微生命体包括有毒藻种的氮营养源,在供水安全以及水体富营养化等方面的生态环境效应不容忽视。文章系统地介绍了淡水水体DON含量与来源、生物有效性与估算方法,以及对有毒藻种生长的影响。DON的来源是影响水体中DON含量动态特征的关键因素。DON来源包括陆地径流,植物碎屑,土壤淋溶液,沉积物释放,大气沉降,藻类、大型植物、细菌与细胞死亡或自我分解,微型及大型浮游动物捕食和排泄、分泌物释放等。研究表明约有12％～72％的DON可迅速被生物所利用,具显著差异,究其原因可能是其来源组成、化学本质（分子质量与极性）、测试生物组成、是否有细菌作用等因素造成的。不同藻种具有不同氮源利用能力,DON对藻类生长具有直接或间接的作用,并可能影响藻类群落结构（有毒藻类成为优势种）。考虑到水环境保护与饮用水安全供水的重要性,未来研究应重视淡水水体DON生物有效性与其化学本质的揭示,尤其是对有毒藻种。     

微生物和硬毛藻对天鹅湖不同湖区沉积物氮磷释放的影响

荣成天鹅湖为一天然瀉湖,近年来绿潮硬毛藻大量爆发,内源污染日益严重。以大型硬毛藻和不同湖区沉积物为试材,设置沉积物+水、沉积物+水(灭菌)、沉积物+水+藻、沉积物+水+藻(灭菌)4个处理,研究了不同微生物活性及藻类条件下上覆水体氮磷质量浓度的变化,同步监测水土界面DO和pH等理化参数,以探讨藻分解和微生物对天鹅湖不同湖区沉积物氮磷释放的影响,为藻华消亡过程中内源污染的治理提供理论依据。结果表明,微生物存在和硬毛藻分解可使水体氮质量浓度明显增加(P<0.05)。试验过程中,水体总氮在有藻和无藻条件下的质量浓度变幅分别为1.56-14.11 mg·L^?1和0.11-8.96 mg·L^?1,后期灭菌处理明显低于未灭菌处理。藻分解对水体磷质量浓度具有极显著影响(P<0.01),有藻条件下灭菌处理总磷质量浓度为0.31-1.27 mg·L^?1,未灭菌处理为0.27-1.41 mg·L^?1;而无藻条件下灭菌和未灭菌处理变幅分别为0.019-0.047 mg·L^?1和0.025-0.078 mg·L^?1。在天鹅湖,不同湖区沉积物氮磷的释放能力存在差异,水体氮质量浓度在有藻和无藻条件下均表现为西北部>湖中心>湖南部,磷质量浓度有藻条件下与氮一致,而无藻条件下则表现为湖中心>西北部>湖南部。湖中心沉积物处理水体营养盐浓度受微生物活性影响较大。3种因素对水体氮磷质量浓度的影响效应表现为:藻类>微生物>沉积物。可见,在藻类大量暴发且微生物活性较高的湖中心及西北部,沉积物氮磷的释放潜力较大,尤其在藻类堆积腐烂时期,应引起足够重视。     

淡水水体溶解有机氮对有毒藻种的生物有效性

溶解有机氮(Dissolved organic nitrogen,DON)是多数天然水体中溶解氮的主要组成部分。天然水体DON是许多微生命体包括有毒藻种的氮营养源,在供水安全以及水体富营养化等方面的生态环境效应不容忽视。文章系统地介绍了淡水水体DON含量与来源、生物有效性与估算方法,以及对有毒藻种生长的影响。DON的来源是影响水体中DON含量动态特征的关键因素。DON来源包括陆地径流,植物碎屑,土壤淋溶液,沉积物释放,大气沉降,藻类、大型植物、细菌与细胞死亡或自我分解,微型及大型浮游动物捕食和排泄、分泌物释放等。研究表明约有12%～72%的DON可迅速被生物所利用,具显著差异,究其原因可能是其来源组成、化学本质(分子质量与极性)、测试生物组成、是否有细菌作用等因素造成的。不同藻种具有不同氮源利用能力,DON对藻类生长具有直接或间接的作用,并可能影响藻类群落结构(有毒藻类成为优势种)。考虑到水环境保护与饮用水安全供水的重要性,未来研究应重视淡水水体DON生物有效性与其化学本质的揭示,尤其是对有毒藻种。     

Denitrification across landscapes and waterscapes: a synthesis.

Denitrification is a critical process regulating the removal of bioavailable nitrogen (N) from natural and human-altered systems. While it has been extensively studied in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems, there has been limited communication among denitrification scientists working in these individual systems. Here, we compare rates of denitrification and controlling factors across a range of ecosystem types. We suggest that terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems in which denitrification occurs can be organized along a continuum ranging from (1) those in which nitrification and denitrification are tightly coupled in space and time to (2) those in which nitrate production and denitrification are relatively decoupled. In aquatic ecosystems, N inputs influence denitrification rates whereas hydrology and geomorphology influence the proportion of N inputs that are denitrified. Relationships between denitrification and water residence time and N load are remarkably similar across lakes, river reaches, estuaries, and continental shelves. Spatially distributed global models of denitrification suggest that continental shelf sediments account for the largest portion (44%) of total global denitrification, followed by terrestrial soils (22%) and oceanic oxygen minimum zones (OMZs; 14%). Freshwater systems (groundwater, lakes, rivers) account for about 20% and estuaries 1% of total global denitrification. Denitrification of land-based N sources is distributed somewhat differently. Within watersheds, the amount of land-based N denitrified is generally highest in terrestrial soils, with progressively smaller amounts denitrified in groundwater, rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and estuaries. A number of regional exceptions to this general trend of decreasing denitrification in a downstream direction exist, including significant denitrification in continental shelves of N from terrestrial sources. Though terrestrial soils and groundwater are responsible for much denitrification at the watershed scale, per-area denitrification rates in soils and groundwater (kg N x km(-2) x yr(-1)) are, on average, approximately one-tenth the per-area rates of denitrification in lakes, rivers, estuaries, continental shelves, or OMZs. A number of potential approaches to increase denitrification on the landscape, and thus decrease N export to sensitive coastal systems exist. However, these have not generally been widely tested for their effectiveness at scales required to significantly reduce N export at the whole watershed scale.     

Nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase activity,internal N pools,and growth of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Ulva lactuca</Emphasis>: responses to long and short-term N supply

Fast-growing macroalgae, including Ulva lactuca Linnaeus, respond rapidly to changes in nutrient conditions, particularly to short-term N supply. This ability to rapidly take up and assimilate N contributes to the increasing occurrence of macroalgal blooms in heavily N loaded coastal ecosystems. To determine whether long-term nutrient histories affect short-term responses in activity of N-assimilating enzymes, including nitrate reductase (NRA) and glutamine synthetase activity (GSA), internal N storage, and macroalgal growth, we conducted an in situ nitrate fertilization experiment between 7 and 22 July 2004, with fronds of U. lactuca collected from estuaries with high and low N loads in Waquoit Bay, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA (N 41° and W 70°). Initial NRA, GSA, % N, δ¹⁵N, and growth of U. lactuca fronds were higher in the site where nitrate was in high supply. Differences in NRA persisted even after short-term experimental enrichment. Differences in internal N pools, δ¹⁵N, and growth, in contrast, mirrored the changes of nutrient supply. The rate of turnover of the internal N content of U. lactuca was quite short (<2 d), and turnover of enzyme activity may have been even shorter. N isotopic fractionation by U. lactuca appeared to be of small magnitude, unlike the case of phytoplankton, and similar to that of vascular plants. δ¹⁵N was a better indicator of short-term response to external and internal nutrient supplies in U. lactuca than enzyme activity or N content, and may reliably detect rapid changes in N availability, source, and uptake and assimilation processes.     

Land use change and nitrogen enrichment of a Rocky Mountain watershed.

Headwater ecosystems may have a limited threshold for retaining and removing nutrients delivered by certain types of land use. Nitrogen enrichment was studied in a Rocky Mountain watershed undergoing rapid expansion of population and residential development. Study sites were located along a 30-km transect from the headwaters of the Blue River to Lake Dillon, a major source of drinking water for Denver, Colorado. Ground water in residential areas with septic systems showed high concentrations of nitrate-N (4.96 +/- 1.22 mg/L, mean +/- SE), and approximately 40% of wells contained nitrate with delta15N values in the range of wastewater. Concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in tributaries with residential development peaked during spring snowmelt as concentrations of DIN declined to below detection limits in undeveloped tributaries. Annual export of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) was considerably lower in residential streams, suggesting a change in forms of N with development. The seasonal delta15N of algae in residential streams was intermediate between baseline values from undeveloped streams and stream algae grown on wastewater. Between 19% and 23% of the annual N export from developed tributaries was derived from septic systems, as estimated from the delta15N of algae. This range was similar to the amount of N export above background determined independently from mass-balance estimates. From a watershed perspective, total loading of N to the Blue River catchment from septic and municipal wastewater (2 kg x ha(-1) x yr(-1)) is currently less than the amount from background atmospheric sources (3 kg x ha(-1) x yr(-1)). Nonetheless, nitrate-N concentrations exceeded limits for safe drinking water in some groundwater wells (10 mg/L), residential streams showed elevated seasonal patterns of nitrate-N concentration and ratios of DIN to total dissolved phosphorus, and seasonal minimum concentrations of nitrate-N in Lake Dillon have increased exponentially to 80 microg/L over the last decade from an initial value near zero. Results suggest that isotopic ratios in autotrophs can be used to detect and quantify increases in N enrichment associated with land use change. The biotic capacity of headwater ecosystems to assimilate increases in inorganic N from residential development may be insufficient to prevent nitrogen enrichment over considerable distances and multiple aquatic ecosystems downstream.     

Distinctive types of leaf tissue damage influence nutrient supply to growing tissues within seagrass shoots

Herbivory is now recognized as an important structuring agent in seagrass meadows but the attack pattern and tissue damage of consumers are highly variable. Nutritional preferences of herbivores and/or easy access to resources may cause differences in biomass loss among tissues that damage the plant in functionally distinctive ways. The two main Mediterranean herbivores, the fish Sarpa salpa (L.) and the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lmk.), remove higher amounts of intermediate and external shoot leaves, respectively. To test whether this selective feeding can have different consequences on the allocation patterns of nutrient within plants, we simulated the effect of both herbivores by clipping external and intermediate leaves (plus unclipped controls) of Posidonia oceanica (L.) and we measured plant tolerance in terms of shoot growth and leaf nutrient supply to new tissue using isotopic markers. As expected, control treatments displayed high carbon and nutrient supply from external leaves (83% of the total ¹⁵N and 84% of the total ¹³C incorporated by the shoot). When subjected to clipping, the remaining leaves enhanced carbon and nitrogen supply compared with the control by 16% of N and 36% of C—in the intermediate clipping—and by over 100% of N and 200% of C—in the external clipping—to compensate for the nutrient lost. However, only in the case of fish herbivory (intermediate clipping), enhanced supply alone was able to fully compensate for the nutrient losses. In contrast, this mechanism is not completely effective when external leaves are clipped (urchin herbivory). Yet, the consequences of this nutrient loss under sea urchin herbivory are not apparent from the nutrient content of the new tissue, suggesting that there are other sources of nitrogen income (uptake or reallocation from rhizomes). Our study does not only confirm the tolerance of P. oceanica to herbivory, but also constitutes the first evidence of leaf-specific, compensatory nutrient supply in seagrasses.     

Wind induced upwelling as a possible explanation for mass occurrences of epiphyticEctocarpus siliculosus (Phaeophyta) in the northern Baltic Proper

The quantity of epiphytic filamentous algae varies considerably in macroalgal vegetation along rocky shores of the northern Baltic Proper. The main species responsible for irregular mass occurrences is the summer annual brown algaEctocarpus siliculosus (Dillw.) Lyngb. In this study, data collected over a 3-yr monitoring period are related to hydrographical parameters. The tideless and brackish Baltic Sea is salinity stratified, and the salinity difference between surface and bottom waters can be used to indicate upwelling events. Mass occurrences developed when the salinity difference was low. These salinity differences explained 87% of the observed increase inE. siliculosus cover. We propose that the slight salinity changes themselves do not affect the growth ofE. siliculosus, but rather they can be used as indicators of short nutrient pulses. These nutrient pulses are not detected in standard water sampling, as they are utilised by both pelagic and benthic organisms within a few hours or days. If the proposed mechanism is true, changes in wind speed and direction have an important effect on the nutrient dynamics of littoral algal communities. A higher frequency of SW winds may cause mass occurrences of filamentous algae, which are often believed to indicate eutrophication of an anthropogenic origin.     

The effect of organic material and inorganic ions on the photosynthetic rate of the red alga Bostrychia binderi from a Florida estuary

Various constituents of spring water (calcium, bicarbonate, nitrate, phosphate, total organic material) influence the response of photosynthetic rate of Bostrychia binderi Harvey to changes in salinity. The rate of photosynthesis increased with a decrease in salinity. The rate of photosynthesis in low salinities was greater in seawater diluted with spring water than in sewater diluted with distilled water. Elevation of photosynthetic rates in the lower salinities (0 and 5 ppt) was partially due to increased levels of bicarbonate and various nutrients present in natural spring water. The higher calcium levels in spring water resulted in higher photosynthetic rates in plants held for 3 to 7 d in the lower salinities (0 to 5 ppt). Increased levels of calcium in salinities of 5 ppt or higher increased the photosynthetic rate only during the first 7 d of exposure, since acclimation occurred equally in individuals held for 2 to 8 wk in sewater diluted with distilled or spring water. This study suggests that the diverse algal floras, characteristic of estuaries on the west coast of Florida are in part the result of natural spring water mixing with seawater, sustaining the algae over short periods of low salinities.     

Does biodiversity of estuarine phytoplankton depend on hydrology?

Phytoplankton growth in estuaries is controlled by factors such as flushing, salinity tolerance, light, nutrients and grazing. Here, we show that biodiversity of estuarine phytoplankton is related to flushing, and illustrate this for some European estuaries.The implications for the definition of reference conditions for quality elements in estuaries of different types are examined, leading to the conclusion that constraints on the number of estuarine and coastal types that may be defined for management purposes require that quality classes take into account natural variability within types, in order to be ecologically meaningful. We develop a screening model to predict the growth rate required for a phytoplankton species to be present under different flushing conditions and apply it to estuaries in the EU and US to show how changes in physical forcing may alter biodiversity. Additional results are presented on the consequences for eutrophication, showing that changes in residence time may interact with species-specific nutrient uptake rates to cause shifts in species composition, potentially leading to effects such as harmful algal blooms.We discuss applications for integrated coastal zone management, and propose an approach to normalization of estuarine phytoplankton composition as regards species numbers.     

Non-point source-driven carbon and nutrient loading to Ganga River (India)

This study was designed to test whether the atmospheric deposition (AD) significantly influences gross primary productivity (GPP) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) build-up in the Ganga River. We collected data for three consecutive years (2012–2014) along with 37 km river stretch with respect to AD-input of carbon, nutrients, and surface runoff chemistry to relate changes in the river water. We found strong linkages among carbon and nutrients in AD, surface runoff and in the river. The concentration of DOC in the river was highest in the rainy season while those of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and dissolved reactive phosphorus were highest in winter. Spatio-temporal changes in DOC indicated dependence on point- and non-point sources and within-system DOC build-up. The GPP in the river increased consistently over time and significantly correlated with AD-N (R^2?=?0.96, p?<?.001) and AD-P (R^2?=?0.97, p?<?.001). Basin level extrapolation showed that the Ganga River Basin receives 1.81?Tg organic-C, 2.77 Tg reactive-N, and 130?Gg reactive-P annually through atmospheric deposition. Non-point source contributions of carbon and nutrients to the river were substantially higher than those of point sources. The study has relevance for regional scale carbon and nutrient budgeting and action plans for integrated river basin management.     

Seagrass and algal beds as nursery habitats for tiger prawns (Penaeus semisulcatus and P. esculentus) in a tropical Australian estuary

We evaluated the importance of seagrass and algae to two species of tiger prawns (Penaeus semisulcatus and P. esculentus) by detailed sampling at four sites (two seagrass, two algae) in the Embley River estuary, and through sampling 26 sites in 7 adjacent estuaries at one time of year. Samples of tiger prawns were collected in the Embley River estuary with a small beam trawl at night every 2 wk from September to May for 2 yr (1990 to 1992). The two seagrass sites, which were 11 and 13 km from the river mouth, showed less seasonal variation in salinity than the two algal sites, which were 15 and 20 km from the river mouth. The algal beds at the two upstream sites almost disappeared during the wet season, but the biomass of seagrass did not change significantly between the wet and dry seasons. The grooved tiger prawn (P. semisulcatus), the main species at all sites, comprised 88% of the total tiger prawn catch over the two years. They were found at all sites during the pre-wet season, but after the onset of the wet season, they disappeared along with the algae, from the upstream sites. The brown tiger prawn (P. esculentus) was found almost exclusively (97% of the total catch) on the seagrass sites downstream. In the study of several estuaries, juvenile P. semisulcatus were caught at all 26 sites, and P. esculentus were caught in much smaller numbers, at 16 sites. Approximately equal numbers of P. semisulcatus were caught in seagrass and algal beds in the pre-wet season. Very few individuals >10 mm carapace length of either species, were caught. The results from this study highlight the importance of algal beds during the pre-wet season as nursery areas for one species of tiger prawn (P. semisulcatus).     

Unintended nutrient imbalance induced by wastewater effluent inputs to receiving water and its ecological consequences

Eutrophication is the most widespread water quality issue globally. To date, most efforts to control eutrophication have focused on reductions of external nutrient inputs, yet importance of nutrient stoichiometry and subsequent shift in plankton composition in aquatic ecosystem has been largely neglected. To address eutrophication, improved sanitation is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, spurring the constructions of wastewater treatment facilities that have improved water quality in many lakes and rivers. However, control measures are often targeted at and effective in removing a single nutrient from sewage and thus are less effective in removing the others, resulting in the changes of nutrient stoichiometry. In general, more effective phosphorus removal relative to nitrogen has occurred in wastewater treatment leading to substantial increases in N/P ratios in effluent relative to the influent. Unfortunately, high N/P ratios in receiving waters can impose negative influences on ecosystems. Thus, long-term strategies for domestic wastewater management should not merely focus on the total reduction of nutrient discharge but also consider their stoichiometric balances in receiving waters.     

长江口柱状沉积物中有机质C/N比的研究

对长江口四个站位沉积物中有机质的C／N比在垂向上的分布进行了研究，在影响沉积物中有机质C／N比的环境因素中，上覆水体的水深、盐度、密度以及浊度对其有一定的影响．在研究沉积物中有机质C／N比的分布及其影响因素的基础上，进一步估算了陆源输入和海洋自生有机碳在这四个站位沉积物有机碳中所占的比例，结果表明，海洋自生组分占沉积物总有机碳的比例分别为：53．57％(8号站位)、20．34％(11号站位)，12．28％(17号站位)和32．73％(26号站位)．     

Respiratory responses of the estuarine mysid Neomysis integer (Peracarida: Mysidacea) in relation to a variable environment

The euryhaline mysid Neomysis integer (Peracarida: Mysidacea) is a common member of the hyperbenthos of the upper reaches of European estuaries. In the East Looe River Estuary (Cornwall, England), this species experiences extensive tidal and seasonal changes in temperature (3 to 15 °C) and salinity (1 to 34‰). In this investigation, the effects of temperature (5, 10 and 15 °C) and salinity (1, 10, 20 and 30‰) on the oxygen consumption of male and female N. integer are reported, and are related to field measurements to identify the adaptive responses of the respiratory physiology to such a variable environment. The general responses were similar for each sex; however, at any given temperature/salinity combination, male N. integer consumed more oxygen than females. The general trends were increased oxygen consumption with increasing temperature (Q₁₀ values ranged from ∼1.7 to 2.5) and decreased oxygen consumption with increasing salinity. Temperature and salinity interacted at high water antagonistically to minimise changes in mysid oxygen-consumption. When related to tidal fluctuations in temperature and salinity experienced by N. integer inhabiting the East Looe River Estuary, the results reveal how the respiratory physiology of this species is adapted to its variable environment. Received: 16 June 1998 / Accepted: 15 December 1998     

Nitrogen- versus phosphorus-limited growth and sources of nutrients for coral reef macroalgae

Recent investigations of nutrient-limited productivity in coral reef macroalgae have led to the conclusion that phosphorus, rather than nitrogen, is the primary limiting nutrient. In this study, comparison of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen:phosphorus ratio in the water column of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, with tissue nitrogen:phosphorus ratios in macroalgae from Kaneohe Bay suggested that nitrogen, rather than phosphorus, generally limits productivity in this system. Results of nutrient-enrichment experiments in a flow-through culture system indicated that inorganic nitrogen limited the growth rates of 8 out of 9 macroalgae species tested. In 6 of the species tested, specific growth rates of thalli cultured in unenriched seawater from the Kaneohe Bay water column were zero or negative after 12 d. These results suggest that, in order to persist in low-nutrient coral reef systems, some macroalgae require high rates of nutrient advection or access to benthic nutrient sources in addition to nutrients in the overlying water column. Nutrient concentrations in water samples collected from the microenvironments inhabited or created by macroalgae were compared to nutrient concentrations in the overlying water column. On protected reef flats, inorganic nitrogen concentrations within dense mats of Gracilaria salicornia and Kappaphycus alvarezii, and inorganic nitrogen and phosphate concentrations in sediment porewater near the rhizophytic algae Caulerpa racemosa and C. sertularioides were significantly higher than in the water column. The sediments associated with these mat-forming and rhizophytic species appear to function as localized nutrient sources, making sustained growth possible despite the oligotrophic water column. In wave-exposed habitats such as the Kaneohe Bay Barrier Reef flat, water motion is higher than at protected sites, sediment nutrient concentrations are low, and zones of high nutrient concentrations do not develop near or beneath macroalgae, including dense Sargassum echinocarpum canopies. Under these conditions, macroalgae evidently depend on rapid advection of low-nutrient water from the water column, rather than benthic nutrient sources, to sustain growth. Received: 1 December 1997 / Accepted: 9 July 1998     

Using stable isotopes to monitor anthropogenic nitrogen inputs to estuaries

Use of stable nitrogen isotope ratios is one method that has been proposed to indicate anthropogenic nutrient enrichment in estuarine systems. However, the role of stable isotopes as a tool in long-term ecosystem monitoring has not been fully developed. Resident producer and consumer species were collected from marshes dominated by Spartina alterniflora and subject to a range of anthropogenic impacts in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and in Great South Bay and Jamaica Bay, New York. Tissue isotope ratios of Spartina alterniflora, Ulva lactuca, Fundulus heteroclitus, and Geukensia demissa were analyzed in order to determine which organisms are the most sensitive indicators of changes in anthropogenic nitrogen source and loading. Power analysis was used to determine the sample sizes necessary to detect change in nutrient source using the species sampled. Relationships between the delta15N values of the species sampled and watershed population density and residential development were evaluated. Population density was a better indicator of anthropogenic nitrogen impact than residential development, since most anthropogenic nitrogen in the study marshes was derived from wastewater. Consumer species demonstrated lower within-site variability than producer species and would therefore require smaller sample sizes to detect changes in nitrogen source and loading.     

Spatial and temporal variation of resource limitation in Chesapeake Bay

We report nutrient addition bioassays at 18 stations in Chesapeake Bay (USA) to assess resources limiting phytoplankton growth. Data were pooled from several sampling programs conducted from 1989 to 1994. Spatially, light and P limitation declined from low salinity regions to high salinity regions, as N limitation increased. This spatial pattern was driven primarily by freshwater inflows with high N/P and seawater inflows with low N/P. Seasonally, there was a marked progression of winter light limitation, spring P limitation, and summer N limitation at mesohaline and polyhaline stations. The seasonal pattern appeared to be caused by temperature, mixing, river discharge, and sediment P fluxes. At high salinity stations, we also observed winter N limitation (caused by DIN depletion prior to spring nitrate delivery), and at lower salinity stations there was fall P limitation (caused by reaeration of bottom sediments). At tidal fresh stations, turbidity and nutrient concentrations resulted in continuous light limitation, except at some stations in summer. Interannual decreases in light limitation and increases in N and P limitation appear to represent improvements in water quality. Received: 31 October 1997 / Accepted: 18 December 1998