Detritus formation from eelgrass (Zostera marina L.): The relative effects of fragmentation, leaching, and decay

Harrison, Paul G.; Mann, K. H.

doi:10.4319/lo.1975.20.6.0924

Cited by 216 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…A portion of these relatively insoluble polymers is also readily leached from various other vascular plant tissues (Benner et al 19863, 1990b). The initial rates of weight loss in the present study may have been enhanced owing to the use of living and dried plant material (Harrison and Mann 1975).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 84%

Diagenesis of belowground biomass of Spartina alterniflora in salt‐marsh sediments

Benner¹,

Fogel

Sprague

1991

Limnology & Oceanography

219

103

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Belowground biomass of Spartina alterniflora lost 55% of its organic matter during 18 months of decomposition in salt-marsh sediments. Significant losses of lignin were observed under highly reducing conditions confirming previous reports of lignin degradation in the absence of molecular oxygen. The submolecular components of lignin varied in susceptibility to degradation and were ranked in the following descending order of resistance to decomposition: V-P> S-C. The preferential degradation of 1 he cinnamyl and syringyl components constrains the quantitative usefulness of these compounds for estimating the contributions ofherbaceous and angiosperm tissues to pools of dissolved and particulate organic matter. The relative concentration of lignin increased about 1.6-fold during decomposition owing to the more rapid loss of polysaccharides.Two phases in nitrogen dynamics were evident during the decomposition study. During the first 4 months of decomposition there was a net loss of N from Spartina tissues at a rate of about 10 gg N g-l tissue d-I. After this initial phase of net N loss, a phase of N immobilization was evident and was tightly coupled with rates of microbial degradation of the tissues. Net rates of N immobilization were -19 pg N g-' tissue d -I; by the end of the 18-month study more N had accumulated in the tissues than was initially present. Stable N isotope composilions of decaying Spartina were also very dynamic and reflected the sources of N that were immobilized during decomposition and the N transformations that occurred on the detrital particles.The stable C isotope composition of the polysaccharide components of Spartina was -6%~ heavier than that of the lignin component. The isotopic compositions of these components retained the 6o/oo difference throughout the 18-month study. The stable C isotope composition of the bulk tissues, however, decreased gradually during decomposition as the isotopically heavier polysaccharides were preferentially lost. Residual material was relatively enriched in the isotopically lighter, lignin-deriveci C.'

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 84%

Diagenesis of belowground biomass of Spartina alterniflora in salt‐marsh sediments

Benner¹,

Fogel

Sprague

1991

Limnology & Oceanography

219

103

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“…Bacteria have responded similarly to exudation of organic substrate during plant metabolism or the initial stages of decay when dissolved organic matter was leached (Harrison & Mann 1975, Moriarty & Pollard 1982, Robertson et al 1982, Kenworthy & Thayer 1984, Kirchman et al 1984, Moriarty et al 1985b, Moriarty et al 1986. The large bacterial cell sizes we observed, especially for the buried H. decipiens are indicative of elevated concentrati.ons of dissolved organics, nutrient-enriched environments, high metabolic activity, and rapid growth (Donachie et al 1976, Pierucci 1978, Hagstrom et al 1984, Palumbo et al 1984.…”

Section: Bacterial Abundance and Growthmentioning

confidence: 71%

Production, decomposition, and heterotrophic utilization of the seagrass Halophila decipiens in a submarine canyon

Kenworthy¹,

Ca²,

Fonseca³

et al. 1989

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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ABSTRACT-We examined the net production, decomposition, and microbial utilization of the seagrass Halophila decipiens during a 6.5 d period in May 1985 in the Salt River Canyon, St Croix, US Virgin Islands. H. decipienscovered 37 % of the Canyon floor between depths of 14 and 32 m with a biomass of 9.15 g dry \vt m-'; its net productivity was ca 0.145 g C m-' d -' Turnover time, estimated by 2 independent methods, was 10.7 d. After 6.5 d H decjpiens incubated in lltterbags buried in the sediment lost 5 6 % of their original ash free dry weight (AFDW) while litterbags incubated on the sediment surface lost only 28 % of their original AFDW. Bacteria grew rapidly on the detritus, doubling in 3.1 d in the surface bags and 3.7 d in the buried bags. Per-cell thymidine incorporation rates peaked within the first 13 h in both treatments but declined thereafter. Final incorporation rates were highest in surface bags. Mean bacterial cell size and bacterial abundance associated with degrading H. decipiens were larger in the buried litterbags. Bacterial biomass, however, was only 29.3 mg cell C g -' AFDW in buried bags and 17.5 mg C g-' AFDVV in surface bags Using bacterial production averaged for the 6.5 d, we estimate that only about 0.26 "10 of the daily detntal input from H. declplens is converted daily into bacterial biomass attached to the degrading plant material. We conclude that, unless the bacterial community on H. decipiens detritus were to use the organic matter more efficiently and were heavily grazed upon, attached bacteria would not make a significant contribution to a deposit-feeding detritivore's energy demands.

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“…This all points to the possibility that the harpacticoid community is mainly associated with the macrophytodetritus for food availability and shelter (Coull and Wells, 1983). Leaf litter has been recognised as a food source for harpacticoid copepods (Meyer and Bell, 1989) since detrital forms of organic material were more palatable and more accessible than fresh material for consumers (Edgar et al, 1994;Enriquez et al, 1993;Harrison and Mann, 1975). It is thus possible that macrophytodetritus accumulations yield a more readily available food for harpacticoids in contrast to other habitats and this will attract them (Norkko and Bonsdorff, 1996).…”

Section: Harpacticoid Copepod Species Assemblage In Detritusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal variability of meiofauna, especially harpacticoid copepods, in Posidonia oceanica macrophytodetritus accumulations

Mascart

Lepoint

Deschoemaeker

et al. 2015

Journal of Sea Research

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The overall aim of this study was (1) to assess the diversity and density of meiofauna taxa, especially harpacticoid copepod species, present within accumulated seagrass macrophytodetritus on unvegetated sand patches and (2) to elucidate the community structure of detritus-associated harpacticoid copepods in relation to natural temporal variability of physico-chemical characteristics of accumulations. This was investigated in a Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile seagrass ecosystem in the northwest Mediterranean Sea (Bay of Calvi, Corsica, 42°35′N, 8°43′E) using a triplicate macrophytodetritus core field sampling in two contrasting sites over the four seasons of 2011. Meiofauna higher taxa consisted of 50% Copepoda, of which 87% belonged to the Harpacticoida order. Nematoda was the second most abundant taxa. The copepod community displayed a wide variety of morphologically similar and ecologically different species (i.e. mesopsammic, phytal, phytal-swimmers, planktonic and parasitic). The harpacticoid copepod community followed a strong seasonal pattern with highest abundances and species diversity in May-August, revealing a link with the leaf litter epiphyte primary production cycle. Aside from the important role in sheltering, housing and feeding potential of macrophytodetritus, a harpacticoid community BEST analysis demonstrated a positive correlation with habitat complexity and a negative correlation with water movements and P. oceanica leaf litter accumulation.

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Detritus formation from eelgrass (Zostera marina L.): The relative effects of fragmentation, leaching, and decay

Cited by 216 publications

References 9 publications

Diagenesis of belowground biomass of Spartina alterniflora in salt‐marsh sediments

Diagenesis of belowground biomass of Spartina alterniflora in salt‐marsh sediments

Production, decomposition, and heterotrophic utilization of the seagrass Halophila decipiens in a submarine canyon

Seasonal variability of meiofauna, especially harpacticoid copepods, in Posidonia oceanica macrophytodetritus accumulations

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