Jean-François Lapierre

What’s in an EEM? Molecular Signatures Associated with Dissolved Organic Fluorescence in Boreal Canada

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a master variable in aquatic systems. Modern fluorescence techniques couple measurements of excitation emission matrix (EEM) spectra and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) to determine fluorescent DOM (FDOM) components and DOM quality. However, the molecular signatures associated with PARAFAC components are poorly defined. In the current study we characterized river water samples from boreal Québec, Canada, using EEM/PARAFAC analysis and ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS). Spearmans correlation of FTICR-MS peak and PARAFAC component relative intensities determined the molecular families associated with 6 PARAFAC components. Molecular families associated with PARAFAC components numbered from 39 to 572 FTICR-MS derived elemental formulas. Detailed molecular properties for each of the classical humic- and protein-like FDOM components are presented. FTICR-MS formulas assigned to PARAFAC components represented 39% of the total number of formulas identified and 59% of total FTICR-MS peak intensities, and included significant numbers compounds that are highly unlikely to fluoresce. Thus, fluorescence measurements offer insight into the biogeochemical cycling of a large proportion of the DOM pool, including a broad suite of unseen molecules that apparently follow the same gradients as FDOM in the environment.

Increases in terrestrially derived carbon stimulate organic carbon processing and CO2 emissions in boreal aquatic ecosystems

The concentrations of terrestrially derived dissolved organic carbon have been increasing throughout northern aquatic ecosystems in recent decades, but whether these shifts have an impact on aquatic carbon emissions at the continental scale depends on the potential for this terrestrial carbon to be converted into carbon dioxide. Here, via the analysis of hundreds of boreal lakes, rivers and wetlands in Canada, we show that, contrary to conventional assumptions, the proportion of biologically degradable dissolved organic carbon remains constant and the photochemical degradability increases with terrestrial influence. Thus, degradation potential increases with increasing amounts of terrestrial carbon. Our results provide empirical evidence of a strong causal link between dissolved organic carbon concentrations and aquatic fluxes of carbon dioxide, mediated by the degradation of land-derived organic carbon in aquatic ecosystems. Future shifts in the patterns of terrestrial dissolved organic carbon in inland waters thus have the potential to significantly increase aquatic carbon emissions across northern landscapes.

Magnitude and regulation of bacterioplankton respiratory quotient across freshwater environmental gradients

Bacterioplankton respiration (BR) may represent the largest single sink of organic carbon in the biosphere and constitutes an important driver of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from freshwaters. Complete understanding of BR is precluded by the fact that most studies need to assume a respiratory quotient (RQ; mole of CO2 produced per mole of O2 consumed) to calculate rates of BR. Many studies have, without clear support, assumed a fixed RQ around 1. Here we present 72 direct measurements of bacterioplankton RQ that we carried out in epilimnetic samples of 52 freshwater sites in Québec (Canada), using O2 and CO2 optic sensors. The RQs tended to converge around 1.2, but showed large variability (s.d.=0.45) and significant correlations with major gradients of ecosystem-level, substrate-level and bacterial community-level characteristics. Experiments with natural bacterioplankton using different single substrates suggested that RQ is intimately linked to the elemental composition of the respired compounds. RQs were on average low in net autotrophic systems, where bacteria likely were utilizing mainly reduced substrates, whereas we found evidence that the dominance of highly oxidized substrates, for example, organic acids formed by photo-chemical processes, led to high RQ in the more heterotrophic systems. Further, we suggest that BR contributes to a substantially larger share of freshwater CO2 emissions than presently believed based on the assumption that RQ is ∼1. Our study demonstrates that bacterioplankton RQ is not only a practical aspect of BR determination, but also a major ecosystem state variable that provides unique information about aquatic ecosystem functioning.

Regional contribution of CO2 and CH4 fluxes from the fluvial network in a lowland boreal landscape of Quebec

Boreal rivers and streams are known as hot spots of CO2 emissions, yet their contribution to CH4 emissions has traditionally been assumed to be negligible, due to the spatially fragmented data and lack of regional studies addressing both gases simultaneously. Here we explore the regional patterns in river CO2 and CH4 concentrations (pCO2 and pCH4), gas exchange coefficient (k), and the resulting emissions in a lowland boreal region of Northern Quebec. Rivers and streams were systematically supersaturated in both gases, with both pCO2 and pCH4 declining along the river continuum. The k was on average low and increased with stream order, consistent with the hydrology of this flat landscape. The smallest streams (order 1), which represent < 20% of the total river surface, contributed over 35% of the total fluvial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The end of winter and the spring thaw periods, which are rarely included in annual emission budgets, contributed on average 21% of the annual GHG emissions. As a whole, the fluvial network acted as significant source of both CO2 and CH4, releasing on average 1.5 tons of C (CO2 eq) yr−1 km−2 of landscape, of which CH4 emissions contributed approximately 34%. We estimate that fluvial CH4 emissions represent 41% of the regional aquatic (lakes, reservoirs, and rivers) CH4 emissions, despite the relatively small riverine surface (4.3% of the total aquatic surface). We conclude that these fluvial networks in boreal lowlands play a disproportionately large role as hot spots for CO2 and more unexpectedly for CH4 emissions.

Effects of macrophytes and terrestrial inputs on fluorescent dissolved organic matter in a large river system

Abstract.We studied the contribution of aquatic macrophytes and allochthonous sources to the pool of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) in a large river system composed of several distinct water masses that flow alongside one another in the same riverbed. Using three dimensional fluorescence combined with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC), we characterized FDOM found in the St. Lawrence River (Lake Saint-Pierre, Québec, Canada), and from macrophyte leaching experiments. Eight fluorescent components were identified, three of which were dominant in macrophyte experiments and were similar to protein-like, autochthonous fluorophores identified in previous studies. The remaining components corresponded to humic and fulvic acids, and a principal component analysis revealed that their distribution in Lake Saint-Pierre was different than that of protein-like fluorophores, suggesting a different origin. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon were strongly associated with the distribution of the allochthonous components. The distribution of protein-like FDOM in Lake Saint-Pierre matched that of macrophytes in the lake and the abundance of allochthonous FDOM was explained by the connectivity with the terrestrial ecosystem. Nearshore water masses carrying large loads of newly imported organic matter from proximal tributaries showed the maximum abundances and the older water masses, from the center of the lake, carried smaller quantities of terrestrial organic matter, thus originated mainly from Lake Ontario, several hundred kilometers upstream of Lake Saint-Pierre. This study demonstrates that macrophytes are a net source of protein-like FDOM and could represent an important supply of autochthonous DOM in shallow, productive environments.

Colorful Niches of Phytoplankton Shaped by the Spatial Connectivity in a Large River Ecosystem: A Riverscape Perspective

Large rivers represent a significant component of inland waters and are considered sentinels and integrators of terrestrial and atmospheric processes. They represent hotspots for the transport and processing of organic and inorganic material from the surrounding landscape, which ultimately impacts the bio-optical properties and food webs of the rivers. In large rivers, hydraulic connectivity operates as a major forcing variable to structure the functioning of the riverscape, and–despite increasing interest in large-river studies–riverscape structural properties, such as the underwater spectral regime, and their impact on autotrophic ecological processes remain poorly studied. Here we used the St. Lawrence River to identify the mechanisms structuring the underwater spectral environment and their consequences on pico- and nanophytoplankton communities, which are good biological tracers of environmental changes. Our results, obtained from a 450 km sampling transect, demonstrate that tributaries exert a profound impact on the receiving river’s photosynthetic potential. This occurs mainly through injection of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and non-algal material (tripton). CDOM and tripton in the water column selectively absorbed wavelengths in a gradient from blue to red, and the resulting underwater light climate was in turn a strong driver of the phytoplankton community structure (prokaryote/eukaryote relative and absolute abundances) at scales of many kilometers from the tributary confluence. Our results conclusively demonstrate the proximal impact of watershed properties on underwater spectral composition in a highly dynamic river environment characterized by unique structuring properties such as high directional connectivity, numerous sources and forms of carbon, and a rapidly varying hydrodynamic regime. We surmise that the underwater spectral composition represents a key integrating and structural property of large, heterogeneous river ecosystems and a promising tool to study autotrophic functional properties. It confirms the usefulness of using the riverscape approach to study large-river ecosystems and initiate comparison along latitudinal gradients.

PRESENCE OF ALGAE IN FRESHWATER ICE COVER OF FLUVIAL LAC SAINT-PIERRE (ST. LAWRENCE RIVER, CANADA)1

Winter ice cover is a fundamental feature of north temperate aquatic systems and is associated with the least productive months of the year. Here we describe a previously unknown freshwater habitat for algal and microbial communities in the ice cover of the freshwater St. Lawrence River, Quebec, Canada. Sampling performed during winter 2005 revealed the presence of viable algal cells, such as Aulacoseira islandica (O. Müll.) Simonsen (Bacillariophyceae), and microbial assemblage growing in the ice and at the ice–water interface. Vertical channels (1–5 mm wide) containing algae were also observed. Concentrations of chl a ranged between 0.5 and 169 μg · L−1 of melted ice, with maximal concentrations found in the lower part of the ice cores. These algae have the potential to survive when ice breakup occurs and reproduce rapidly in spring/summer conditions. Freshwater ice algae can thus contribute to in situ primary production, biodiversity, and annual carbon budget in various habitats of riverine communities.