Document Type

Article

Department/Program

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Publication Date

7-2000

Journal

Aquatic Microbial Ecology

Volume

22

Issue

1

First Page

1

Last Page

12

Abstract

Bacterial utilization of natural levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was measured in the York River estuary, a sub-estuary of the Chesapeake Bay. This study was undertaken in order to elucidate spatial and temporal changes in bacterial carbon utilization and to evaluate its importance as a pathway for organic matter transformation in estuaries. Multiple pools of DOC were defined based on decomposition kinetics. The first pool (G(1)) made up a mean of 2.8% of total DOC and had turnover times of less than or equal to 5 d. The second pool (G(2)) comprised an average of 4.9% of total DOC and had turnover times of similar to 1 mo. Our data indicate that although the total amount of DOC utilized was low, there was a continual supply of both the G(1) and G(2) fractions within the estuary. Bacterial growth efficiency on the G(1) pool averaged 28%. The production of CO2 through bacterial respiration of the G(1) pool could not balance CO2 evasion for the majority of the estuary. Bacterial DOC degradation in the York River estuary was limited by temperature for the majority of the year. This temperature constraint coupled with relatively short hydrologic residence times resulted in the export of labile DOC from the estuary prior to complete bacterial decomposition. We estimate that similar to 10% of the riverine DOC exported annually from estuaries to the mid-Atlantic Eight (MAB) is a labile fraction of DOC that is not utilized within the estuaries due to temperature constraints on estuarine bacteria. This DOC is not inherently recalcitrant and is an allochthonous source of labile DOC for the coastal Mid-Atlantic Ocean.

DOI

10.3354/ame022001

Keywords

dissolved organic carbon (DOC); heterotrophy; mid-Atlantic bight; carbon export; Chesapeake Bay; York River

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