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Metal-macrofauna interactions determine microbial community structure and function in copper contaminated sediments

Metal-macrofauna interactions determine microbial community structure and function in copper contaminated sediments
Metal-macrofauna interactions determine microbial community structure and function in copper contaminated sediments
Copper is essential for healthy cellular functioning, but this heavy metal quickly becomes toxic when supply exceeds demand. Marine sediments receive widespread and increasing levels of copper contamination from antifouling paints owing to the 2008 global ban of organotin-based products. The toxicity of copper will increase in the coming years as seawater pH decreases and temperature increases. We used a factorial mesocosm experiment to investigate how increasing sediment copper concentrations and the presence of a cosmopolitan bioturbating amphipod, Corophium volutator, affected a range of ecosystem functions in a soft sediment microbial community. The effects of copper on benthic nutrient release, bacterial biomass, microbial community structure and the isotopic composition of individual microbial membrane [phospholipid] fatty acids (PLFAs) all differed in the presence of C. volutator. Our data consistently demonstrate that copper contamination of global waterways will have pervasive effects on the metabolic functioning of benthic communities that cannot be predicted from copper concentrations alone; impacts will depend upon the resident macrofauna and their capacity for bioturbation. This finding poses a major challenge for those attempting to manage the impacts of copper contamination on ecosystem services, e.g. carbon and nutrient cycling, across different habitats. Our work also highlights the paucity of information on the processes that result in isotopic fractionation in natural marine microbial communities. We conclude that the assimilative capacity of benthic microbes will become progressively impaired as copper concentrations increase. These effects will, to an extent, be mitigated by the presence of bioturbating animals and possibly other processes that increase the influx of oxygenated seawater into the sediments. Our findings support the move towards an ecosystem approach for environmental management.
1932-6203
e64940
Mayor, Daniel J.
a2a9c29e-ffdc-4858-ad65-3a235824a4c9
Gray, Nia B.
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Elver-Evans, Joanna
dc0061bd-eb4b-4ad0-bc78-705f413afb29
Midwood, Andrew J.
57e41051-e955-4381-a752-0d969edc3c0d
Thornton, Barry
6aa3e893-d436-4656-9dec-d47ce9d25219
Mayor, Daniel J.
a2a9c29e-ffdc-4858-ad65-3a235824a4c9
Gray, Nia B.
1af33bb5-0f01-438b-8db3-0dc1a8be14ca
Elver-Evans, Joanna
dc0061bd-eb4b-4ad0-bc78-705f413afb29
Midwood, Andrew J.
57e41051-e955-4381-a752-0d969edc3c0d
Thornton, Barry
6aa3e893-d436-4656-9dec-d47ce9d25219

Mayor, Daniel J., Gray, Nia B., Elver-Evans, Joanna, Midwood, Andrew J. and Thornton, Barry (2013) Metal-macrofauna interactions determine microbial community structure and function in copper contaminated sediments. PLoS ONE, 8 (5), e64940. (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064940).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Copper is essential for healthy cellular functioning, but this heavy metal quickly becomes toxic when supply exceeds demand. Marine sediments receive widespread and increasing levels of copper contamination from antifouling paints owing to the 2008 global ban of organotin-based products. The toxicity of copper will increase in the coming years as seawater pH decreases and temperature increases. We used a factorial mesocosm experiment to investigate how increasing sediment copper concentrations and the presence of a cosmopolitan bioturbating amphipod, Corophium volutator, affected a range of ecosystem functions in a soft sediment microbial community. The effects of copper on benthic nutrient release, bacterial biomass, microbial community structure and the isotopic composition of individual microbial membrane [phospholipid] fatty acids (PLFAs) all differed in the presence of C. volutator. Our data consistently demonstrate that copper contamination of global waterways will have pervasive effects on the metabolic functioning of benthic communities that cannot be predicted from copper concentrations alone; impacts will depend upon the resident macrofauna and their capacity for bioturbation. This finding poses a major challenge for those attempting to manage the impacts of copper contamination on ecosystem services, e.g. carbon and nutrient cycling, across different habitats. Our work also highlights the paucity of information on the processes that result in isotopic fractionation in natural marine microbial communities. We conclude that the assimilative capacity of benthic microbes will become progressively impaired as copper concentrations increase. These effects will, to an extent, be mitigated by the presence of bioturbating animals and possibly other processes that increase the influx of oxygenated seawater into the sediments. Our findings support the move towards an ecosystem approach for environmental management.

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Published date: 31 May 2013
Organisations: Marine Biogeochemistry

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 380717
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/380717
ISSN: 1932-6203
PURE UUID: 37f6843a-8e30-4f19-912e-f90a4f4ed856

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Date deposited: 19 Aug 2015 09:44
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 21:03

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Contributors

Author: Daniel J. Mayor
Author: Nia B. Gray
Author: Joanna Elver-Evans
Author: Andrew J. Midwood
Author: Barry Thornton

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