The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Mediation of nitrogen by post-disturbance shelf communities experiencing organic matter enrichment

Mediation of nitrogen by post-disturbance shelf communities experiencing organic matter enrichment
Mediation of nitrogen by post-disturbance shelf communities experiencing organic matter enrichment
Microbes and benthic macro-invertebrates interact in sediments to play a major role in the biogeochemical cycling of organic matter, but the extent to which their contributions are modified following natural and anthropogenic changes has received little attention. Here, we investigate how nitrogen transformations, ascertained from changes in archaeal and bacterial N-cycling microbes and water macronutrient concentrations ([NH4–N], [NO2–N], [NO3–N]), in sand and sandy mud sediments differ when macrofaunal communities that have previously experienced contrasting levels of chronic fishing disturbance are exposed to organic matter enrichment. We find that differences in macrofaunal community structure related to differences in fishing activity affect the capacity of the macrofauna to mediate microbial nitrogen cycling in sand, but not in sandy mud environments. Whilst we found no evidence for a change in ammonia oxidiser community structure, we did find an increase in archaeal and bacterial denitrifier (AnirKa, nirS) and anammox (hzo) transcripts in macrofaunal communities characterized by higher ratios of suspension to deposit feeders, and a lower density but higher biomass of sediment-reworking fauna. Our findings suggest that nitrogen transformation in shelf sandy sediments is dependent on the stimulation of specific nitrogen cycling pathways that are associated with differences in the composition and context-dependent expression of the functional traits that belong to the resident bioturbating macrofauna community.
0168-2563
135-153
Sciberras, Marija
a7101168-0646-444f-955f-4ca7beaad451
Tait, Karen
65efb5fa-8898-495d-985d-2f6fec9f7a4c
Brochain, Guillaume
fc33d876-ec37-4588-95b7-0d6c00dc7455
Hiddink, Jan G.
10e4b1e4-7a7a-4027-8489-4de1916e9504
Hale, Rachel
e5dfde12-523c-4000-ad0e-3431ffeafac1
Godbold, Jasmin A.
df6da569-e7ea-43ca-8a95-a563829fb88a
Solan, Martin
c28b294a-1db6-4677-8eab-bd8d6221fecf
Sciberras, Marija
a7101168-0646-444f-955f-4ca7beaad451
Tait, Karen
65efb5fa-8898-495d-985d-2f6fec9f7a4c
Brochain, Guillaume
fc33d876-ec37-4588-95b7-0d6c00dc7455
Hiddink, Jan G.
10e4b1e4-7a7a-4027-8489-4de1916e9504
Hale, Rachel
e5dfde12-523c-4000-ad0e-3431ffeafac1
Godbold, Jasmin A.
df6da569-e7ea-43ca-8a95-a563829fb88a
Solan, Martin
c28b294a-1db6-4677-8eab-bd8d6221fecf

Sciberras, Marija, Tait, Karen, Brochain, Guillaume, Hiddink, Jan G., Hale, Rachel, Godbold, Jasmin A. and Solan, Martin (2017) Mediation of nitrogen by post-disturbance shelf communities experiencing organic matter enrichment. Biogeochemistry, 135 (1-2), 135-153. (doi:10.1007/s10533-017-0370-5).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Microbes and benthic macro-invertebrates interact in sediments to play a major role in the biogeochemical cycling of organic matter, but the extent to which their contributions are modified following natural and anthropogenic changes has received little attention. Here, we investigate how nitrogen transformations, ascertained from changes in archaeal and bacterial N-cycling microbes and water macronutrient concentrations ([NH4–N], [NO2–N], [NO3–N]), in sand and sandy mud sediments differ when macrofaunal communities that have previously experienced contrasting levels of chronic fishing disturbance are exposed to organic matter enrichment. We find that differences in macrofaunal community structure related to differences in fishing activity affect the capacity of the macrofauna to mediate microbial nitrogen cycling in sand, but not in sandy mud environments. Whilst we found no evidence for a change in ammonia oxidiser community structure, we did find an increase in archaeal and bacterial denitrifier (AnirKa, nirS) and anammox (hzo) transcripts in macrofaunal communities characterized by higher ratios of suspension to deposit feeders, and a lower density but higher biomass of sediment-reworking fauna. Our findings suggest that nitrogen transformation in shelf sandy sediments is dependent on the stimulation of specific nitrogen cycling pathways that are associated with differences in the composition and context-dependent expression of the functional traits that belong to the resident bioturbating macrofauna community.

Text
10.1007_s10533-017-0370-5 - Version of Record
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.
Download (794kB)

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 15 August 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 29 August 2017
Published date: September 2017

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 414214
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/414214
ISSN: 0168-2563
PURE UUID: 7fe8fec3-e461-44c6-b58d-f196f80d6794
ORCID for Rachel Hale: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5079-5954
ORCID for Jasmin A. Godbold: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5558-8188
ORCID for Martin Solan: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-9924-5574

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 19 Sep 2017 16:31
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:09

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Marija Sciberras
Author: Karen Tait
Author: Guillaume Brochain
Author: Jan G. Hiddink
Author: Rachel Hale ORCID iD
Author: Martin Solan ORCID iD

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×