Preview

Biogeochemistry of Nitrous Oxide Production in the Red Mangrove (Rhizophora Mangle) Forest Sediments

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
5890 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Biogeochemistry of Nitrous Oxide Production in the Red Mangrove (Rhizophora Mangle) Forest Sediments
BIOGEOCHEMISTRY OF NITROUS OXIDE PRODUCTION IN THE RED MANGROVE (Rhizophora mangle) FOREST SEDIMENTS

Jorge Bauza, Julio M. Morell and Jorge E. Corredor
Department of Marine Sciences
University of Puerto Rico
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 00680

RUNNING HEAD: Nitrous Oxide in Mangrove Sediments

keywords: nitrous oxide, nitrification, mangrove forest

ABSTRACT The present study was undertaken to quantify the emission and distribution of nitrous oxide and to explore its relation with pertinent physical and chemical parameters of the red mangrove forest sediment. Rates of N2O evolution, which ranged from 0.052 to 1.37 ƒÝmole.m-2.h-1 (overall mean = 0.495 ƒÝmole.m-2.h-1), are comparable to those of other ecosystems that has been previously studied. A significant diel flux change in nitrous oxide emission was observed. Dissolved nitrous oxide concentration averaged 0.149 nmole.cm-3 (SD = 0.09, n = 54) with a range from 0.096 to 0.574 nmole.cm-3. Dissolved and exchangeable inorganic nitrogen was present mostly in the form of ammonium (from 199 to 272 nmole.cm-3) with lesser amounts of nitrate (overall mean = 29.0 nmole.cm-3). Redox potentials in the sediments generally decreased with depth, with a mean value of 377 mV at the sediment surfaces and lower mean value (159 mV) at 10 cm deep. We have explored the probable sources of nitrous oxide in the mangrove forest sediment using linear and multiple regression and correlation between the data obtained in this study and comparing this observations with previous studies of N2O metabolism. Our results, while not excluding the possibility of N2O production through denitrification, indicate that N2O is produced mainly by nitrification in sediments of this mangrove forest.

INTRODUCTION

Nitrous oxide is a trace gas produced under natural conditions by the processes of nitrification and denitrification as part of the biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen (Firestone and Davidson, 1989). It was not until


References: Bange, H.W., S. Rapsomaniris, and M.O. AnDreae. 1996. Nitrous oxide in coastal waters. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 10: 197-207. Boto, F.G. and Robertson, A.I. 1990. The relationship between nitrogen fixation and tidal exports of nitrogen in a tropical mangrove system. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 31:243-540. Boto, K. G. 1982. Nutrient and organic fluxes in mangroves. In: B. F. Clough (Ed.) Mangrove ecosystems in Australia, pp. 239-257. Australia National University Press, Australia. Boto, K. P. Saffigna and B. Clough. 1985. Role of nitrate in nitrogen nutrition of the mangrove Avicennia marina. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 21: 259-265. Capone, D.G. 1996. A biologically constrained estimate of oceanic N2O flux. In : D.D. Adams et al. (Eds.) Cycling of reduced gases in the hydrosphere. Mitt. Internat. Verein Limnol. 25: 105-114. Carrera, C. J. and A. E. Lugo. 1978. Los sistemas de manglares de Puerto Rico. Department of Natural Resources Publication. San Juan, Puerto Rico, 270 pp. Crutzen, P. J. 1976. Upper limits on atmospheric ozone reductions following application of fixed nitrogen to the soil Danielson and Sutherland, 1986. Porosity. In: C.A. Black et al. (Eds.) Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 1. Agronomy 9: 443-461. Davidson, E. A. 1993. Soil water content and the ratio of nitrous oxide to nitric oxide emitted from soil. In: R. S. Oremland (ed.). Biogeochemistry of global change: radiatively active trace gases, pp. 369-386. Chapman and Hall, New York. Delwiche, C.C. 1981. Atmospheric chemistry of nitrous oxide. In: Denitrification, nitrification, and Atmospheric Nitrous Oxide, pp Golley, F., H. T. Odum and R. F. Wilson. 1962. The structure and metabolism of a Puerto Rican red mangrove forest in May. Ecology. 43: 9-19. Goodroad, L. L., and D. R. Keeney. 1984. Nitrous oxide emission from forest marsh, and prairie ecosystems Goreau, T. J., W. A. Kapla, S. C. Wofsy, M. B. Mc Elroy, F. W. Valios, and S. W. Watson. 1980. Production of NO and N2O by nitrifying bacteria at reduced concentrations of oxygen. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 40: 526-532. Hansen, J Hao, W. M., S. C. Wofsy, M. B. McElroy, J. M. Beer, and M. A. Togan. 1987. Sources of atmospheric nitrous oxide from combustion Hines, M. E. and W. B. Lyons. 1982. Biogeochemistry of nearshore Bermuda sediment. I. Sulfate reduction rates and nutrient regeneration. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 8: 87-94. Kaplan, W.A. 1983. Nitrification. In: E.J. Carpenter and D.G. Capone (Eds.) Nitrogen in the Marine Environment. Academic. N.Y. p.139-190. Keller, M., and W. A. Reiners. 1990. Emissions of nitrous oxide and nitric oxide from wet tropical forest soils. EOS 71: 1259. Koike, I. and K. Terauchi. 1996. Fine scaler distribution of nitrous oxide in marine sediments. Mar. Chem. 52: 185-193 Kristensen, E., M Kristensen, E., F. O. Andersen, and L. H. Kofeod. 1988. Preliminary assessment of benthic community metabolism in a southeast Asian mangrove swamp. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 48: 137-145. Levine, E.A Lugo, A.E., and S. C. Snedaker. 1974. The ecology of mangroves. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematic 5: 39-64. Lugo, A.E Martikainen, P. J. 1985. Nitrous oxide emission associated with autotrophic ammonium oxidation in acid coniferous forest soil Matson, P. A., and P. M. Vitousek. 1990. Ecosystem approach to a global nitrous oxide budget. Bioscience 40: 667-672. Matson, P.A.., P.M. Vitousek, G.P. Livingston, and N.A. Swanberg. 1990. Sources of variation in nitrous oxide flux from amazonian ecosystems. J. Geophy.Res. 95:16789-16798. Mosier, A.R. 1989. Chamber and isotope tecniques. In: M.O. Andreae and D.S. Chimel (ed.). Exchange of trace gases between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere, pp. 175-187. John Wiley & Son. N.Y. Mosier, A.R. and L. Mack. 1980. Gas chromatographic system for precise, rapid analysis of nitrous oxide. Soil Sci. Soc. J. 44: 1121-1123. Nishio, T., I. Koike, and A. Hattori. 1983. Estimate of denitrification and nitrification in coastal and estuarine sediments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 45: 444-450. Rosenfeld, J .K. 1979. Interstitial water and sediment chemistry of two cores from Florida Bay. J. Sed. Petrol. 49: 989-994. Schmidt, J., W. Seiler, and R. Conrad. 1988. Emission of nitrous oxide Scholander, P. F. and S. I. Scholander. 1955. Gas exchange in the roots of mangroves. Amer. J. Bot. 42: 92-98. Seitzinger, S. P., S. W. Nixon, and M. E. Q. Pilson. 1984. Denitrification and nitrous oxide production in a coastal marine ecosystem. Limnol. Oceanogr. 29: 73-83. Smith, C. J., W. F. Wright, and W. H. Patrick. 1983. The effect of soil redox potential and pH on the reduction and production of nitrous oxide. J. Environ. Qual. 12: 186-188.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Minnamurra Lab
    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Minnamurra Lab

    Firstly, the elevation from quadrat 12 to 13 shows the zone shift from intertidal to above high tide, and from quadrat 13 onwards, the swamp she-oak is most dominant, which is even more evidence to show that it is in fact above high tide. There are also no mangroves past quadrat 13, as they reside in the intertidal zone. The mangroves are all over between quadrats 1-12, and with 100% soil moisture in all of those quadrats, that that is in fact the intertidal zone. The soil moisture varies in the last 4 quadrats since it is no longer in the intertidal…

    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    North Stradbroke Island Research Paper
    • 1943 Words
    • 8 Pages

    North Stradbroke Island Research Paper

    They can be found stretched across costal northern Australia. The average soil PH level at Myora Springs was eight which is consistent with the ideal conditions for the Red Mangroves. These type of mangroves form extensive, often pure stands around the shores of shallow bays. Preferring soft, well drained muddy soils. In North Queensland, Red mangroves are able to grow up to ten metres high, however it is most common to see five metre high trees; most likely because of the lower and sparser human population and density towards the coastlines. A main feature of this species is their stout, a large arching prop of roots that contain numerous lenticels (air pores) that support the main trunk and enable to tree to live. Red mangroves have adapted to their salient ecosystem by tolerating salt. They eliminate salt from their roots as water is occupied. Excess salt is then stored in the leaves and the tree sheds these leaves later on. Although the Grey mangrove can withstand much higher salt concentrations, both species lived side by side at Myora Springs. This is because the average soil PH level was eight, which is not high enough to stop the red mangrove from…

    • 1943 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Height: Width of Limpets Across Different Zones on an Exposed Shore
    • 2047 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Height: Width of Limpets Across Different Zones on an Exposed Shore

    [16] - Knox G.A.(2001) The ecology of seashores. CRC Press. Page 557. Found on 20.10.12…

    • 2047 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Environmental Science chap 6 and 17 review
    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Environmental Science chap 6 and 17 review

    -Mangrove forests: Tropical equivilent of salt marshes. Their interlacing roots are breeding grounds and nurseries for many important fishes…

    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    No Laughing Matter: a Comprehensive Overview of Nitrous Oxide Abuse
    • 2626 Words
    • 11 Pages

    No Laughing Matter: a Comprehensive Overview of Nitrous Oxide Abuse

    Commonly known as “laughing gas,” nitrous oxide wears many hats and goes by many names. For example, those who use nitrous oxide in automotive racing or rocketry applications know it as NOS (Alai). In this usage, nitrous oxide is applied as a powerful oxidizer, allowing a vehicle’s engine to combust gasoline more rapidly, with an associated increase in horsepower (Winter). This form of nitrous oxide is packaged with many additives to not only improve its performance but also to deter its abuse (Erowid).…

    • 2626 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Diatom-Associated Bacteria Report
    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Diatom-Associated Bacteria Report

    The carbon fixed by oceanic diatoms is equivalent to the organic carbon produced by all of the terrestrial rainforests combined (Nelson et al. 1995). Diatoms not only generate organic carbon from carbon dioxide, but also play a major role in the ‘biological pump’, wherein nutrients (N, P, Fe, Si, trace metals) are taken up in the euphotic zone and sink to the benthos as biological material incorporated into fecal pellets or marine snow. Nearly half of the sinking organic carbon produced by diatoms is consumed by bacteria and remineralized into the upper ocean as inorganic nutrients, a process referred to as the microbial loop (Azam et al. 1983). Microbial remineralization is essential to maintain nutrients in this system (Williams and Yentsch 1976; Cole 1982), including silica, which otherwise may limit diatom growth (Bidle et al.…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Sci 275 Week 8 Assignment Energy Resource Plan
    • 934 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Sci 275 Week 8 Assignment Energy Resource Plan

    Writers, S. (2009). Nutrient Pollution Chokes Marine And Freshwater Ecosystems. Space Daily . retrieved from Pheonix University online library website Powersearch .…

    • 934 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Barker Inlet Mangrove Ecosystem
    • 1071 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Barker Inlet Mangrove Ecosystem

    This report deals with the study of an ecosystem group and a major functional role within it. The components of the role and other factors such as relationships within the ecosystem are discussed along with quantitative data and examples. The ecosystem group chosen is a local, coastal ecosystem called the Barker Inlet – St Kilda Aquatic Reserve and the Torrens Island Conservation Park. Together we have termed them the Barker Inlet Mangrove Ecosystem which is situated approximately 20 kilometres north west of Adelaide (see figure 1) and covers an area of approximately 20.5 kilometres squared or 2055 hectres.…

    • 1071 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Effects of Macroalgal Zonation on a Reef Flat
    • 3533 Words
    • 15 Pages

    Effects of Macroalgal Zonation on a Reef Flat

    Hay ME. 1981. Herbivory, algal distribution, and the maintenance of between-habitat diversity on a tropical fringing reef. The American Naturalist 118(4):520-540.…

    • 3533 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Assigment
    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Assigment

    First the water with nitorgen auto tailpipes flows into the ocean. Second, the plume of nutrient-rich water enter a warm surface layer over denser, colder saltwater. And the layers do not mix. Third, nutrients fuel blooms of microscropic plants.…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Environmental Science Final Study Guide
    • 7330 Words
    • 249 Pages

    Environmental Science Final Study Guide

    Carbon dioxide (CO2) o Colorless and odorless o 93% of CO2 naturally-­‐occurring – 7% from human activity (burning of fossil fuels, clearing forest/grasslands) o Only recently has CO2 been considered a pollutant as growing levels threaten the earth’s climate 2) Nitrogen oxides and nitric acid • NO (nitric oxide) – colorless gas -­‐-­‐ forms during combustion o Sources: 89% natural / 11% human • NO reacts with oxygen to form nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – reddish-­‐brown gas • NO and NO2 known as nitrogen oxides (NOx) – play a role in formation of photochemical smog • NOx impacts respiratory functions (asthma and bronchitis) • Some NO2 reacts with water vapor to form nitric acid (HNO3) à component of acid deposition • N2O (nitrous oxide) is a GHG emitted from fertilizers and animal waste 3) Sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid • Sulfur dioxide – colorless and strong odor o Sources: 30% natural sources / 70% human (coal-­‐fired power and industrial plants; smelting, oil refining) o Impacts: visibility, damage to metals/paints; respiratory problems • SO2 converted into droplets of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and particles of sulfate – return to earth as acid deposition 4) Particulates • “Particulate matter” (PM) – solid particles or liquid droplets small and light enough to remain suspended in air • PM 10 and PM 2.5 (microns) o Sources: 60% natural sources and 40% human (coal burning and industrial plants, motor vehicles) – diesel engines! o Impacts: Lung damage, respiratory issues, reproductive problems, cancer § Children very susceptible – why? 5)…

    • 7330 Words
    • 249 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare and Contrast 3 Kinds of Political Subcultures
    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Compare and Contrast 3 Kinds of Political Subcultures

    Air pollution is the introduction into the atmosphere of chemicals, particulates, and biological matter that cause harm to humans, other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment. Stratospheric ozone depletion (contributed to air pollution) has long been recognized as a threat to human health as well as to the Earth’s ecosystems. The Earth is capable of cleaning itself of a certain level of pollution, but man-made pollutant have become too numerous for the Earth’s natural mechanisms to remove. We are seeing the results of this overload in the form of acid rain, smog, and the variety of health problems that can be contributed to our environment. (Godish)…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Indian River Lagoon
    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Indian River Lagoon

    Over the last couple of decades, the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) has seen an increasing amount of algal blooms caused by an excess of nutrients, most notably nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Algae being “photosynthetic microorganisms that are found in most habitats” (SJRWMD, 2007) and algal blooms being defined as a “rapid increase in the density of algae in an aquatic system... [that is] increased by nutrient pollution” (SJRWMD, 2007). Algae blooms contribute to the continuing loss of marine life in the IRL, including fish, marine mammals, and mangroves. Among other species lost because of algal blooms are sea grass, with some “areas losing up to 95 percent of their coverage.” (University of Florida, 2016). While current algae blooms are greatly…

    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The nitrogen cycle
    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The nitrogen cycle

    The nitrogen cycle is the process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms. This transformation can be carried out through both biological and physical processes. Important processes in the nitrogen cycle include fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification. The majority of Earth's atmosphere (78%) is nitrogen, making it the largest pool of nitrogen. However, atmospheric nitrogen has limited availability for biological use, leading to a scarcity of usable nitrogen in many types of ecosystems. The nitrogen cycle is of particular interest to ecologists because nitrogen availability can affect the rate of key ecosystem processes, including primary production and decomposition. Human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, use of artificial nitrogen fertilizers, and release of nitrogen in wastewater have dramatically altered the global nitrogen cycle.…

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Clean Lakes Case Study
    • 1062 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Clean Lakes Case Study

    Lakes’ nitrogen removal capability is not only affected by nitrogen load and water residence time (Finlay, J.C. et al., 2013), but also be affected by phosphorus in lakes. Increased phosphorus concentration stimulates algal growth, which leads to increased inorganic nitrogen being assimilated into tissue of algal blooms. When alga dies, these organic nitrogen will be transported into the sediments where are lack of oxygen. As a consequence, denitrification process is increased, leading more nitrogen convert to N2 and N2O entering atmosphere. If phosphorus supply decreased, algal production will be reduced, and then denitrification process will be significantly and negatively influenced. Therefore, estuaries and coastal waters where nitrogen is the limited nutrition for alga, facing the risk of being eutrophic by N-rich downstream…

    • 1062 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics