Anoxic chlorophyll maximum enhances local organic matter remineralization and nitrogen loss in Lake Tanganyika

Cameron M. Callbeck (), Benedikt Ehrenfels, Kathrin B. L. Baumann, Bernhard Wehrli and Carsten J. Schubert
Additional contact information
Cameron M. Callbeck: Surface Waters—Research and Management
Benedikt Ehrenfels: Surface Waters—Research and Management
Kathrin B. L. Baumann: Surface Waters—Research and Management
Bernhard Wehrli: Surface Waters—Research and Management
Carsten J. Schubert: Surface Waters—Research and Management

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract In marine and freshwater oxygen-deficient zones, the remineralization of sinking organic matter from the photic zone is central to driving nitrogen loss. Deep blooms of photosynthetic bacteria, which form the suboxic/anoxic chlorophyll maximum (ACM), widespread in aquatic ecosystems, may also contribute to the local input of organic matter. Yet, the influence of the ACM on nitrogen and carbon cycling remains poorly understood. Using a suite of stable isotope tracer experiments, we examined the transformation of nitrogen and carbon under an ACM (comprising of Chlorobiaceae and Synechococcales) and a non-ACM scenario in the anoxic zone of Lake Tanganyika. We find that the ACM hosts a tight coupling of photo/litho-autotrophic and heterotrophic processes. In particular, the ACM was a hotspot of organic matter remineralization that controlled an important supply of ammonium driving a nitrification-anammox coupling, and thereby played a key role in regulating nitrogen loss in the oxygen-deficient zone.

Date: 2021
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21115-5 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-21115-5

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21115-5

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().