Dissolved organic matter release in a Posidonia oceanica meadow

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 374:75-84 (2009) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07715 Dissolved organic matter release in a Posidonia oceanica meadow Cristina Barrón1,2,*, Carlos M. Duarte1 1IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), C/ Miquel Marqués 21, 07190 Esporles (Islas Baleares), Spain 2Present address: Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium *Email: cbarron@vub.ac.be ABSTRACT: We examined annual nutrient changes (nitrate, phosphate and ammonium) and the net dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrogen (DON) and phosphorus (DOP) release using in situ benthic incubations in a Posidonia oceanica meadow and in unvegetated sediments of Magalluf Bay (Mallorca Island, Spain) at monthly intervals. We also examined the role of the P. oceanica meadow in the C:N:P ratio transformations by comparing the ratios between the inorganic and dissolved organic fluxes in the seagrass ecosystem and those in the plant material. Our results indicate that P. oceanica communities enhance DOC fluxes relative to adjacent unvegetated sediments. The net DOC release from the P. oceanica meadow represents 71% of the net community production. The C:N:P ratio in the flux of dissolved organic material (DOM) from the P. oceanica community (1450:69:1) exceeded the C:N:P ratio in the DOM flux of unvegetated sediment communities. The high flux of DOC release from this seagrass community might be enriched in carbon compounds, as these plants produce non-structural carbohydrates in excess. KEY WORDS: Benthic fluxes · Seagrasses · Dissolved organic carbon · Posidonia oceanica · Dissolved organic matter · Carbohydrates Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Barrón C, Duarte CM (2009) Dissolved organic matter release in a Posidonia oceanica meadow. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 374:75-84. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07715 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 374. Online publication date: January 13, 2009 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2009 Inter-Research.