Jon H. Tuttle

Kinetics of phytoplankton decay during simulated sedimentation: Changes in biochemical composition and microbial activity under oxic and anoxic conditions

A series of oxic and anoxic incubations examined the decay of two marine phytoplankton, the diatom Thalassiosira weissffogii and the coccoid cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp, in flow-through systems without macrozooplankton grazers. The major biochemical fractions of algal carbon (protein, carbohydrates, and lipid) were quantified over time together with bacterial abundance and activity. Oxic decay constants of bulk and individual biochemical fractions showed good agreement between both phytoplankters, suggesting that composition at the molecular level within a particular biochemical class does not influence decay rate as much as differences among the major biochemical fractions. Large differences in decay rates did exist among biochemical classes, with carbohydrates utilized most rapidly under oxic conditions, followed by protein and then lipid. Turnover times among the particulate pools ranged from 10.7 days for diatom and cyanobacterial carbohydrates under oxic conditions to over 160 days for cyanobacterial lipids under anoxia, with oxygen having a substantial effect on overall rates of algal carbon decomposition. PON values tracked POC with an average POC:PON ratio of 4.99 ± 0.52 for diatoms and 4.48 ± 0.66 for cyanobacteria throughout the experiments. Bacterial abundances and activity varied substantially over the course of the incubations with greatest activity during periods of greatest particulate loss. Bacterial abundances and metabolism were comparable under oxic and anoxic conditions even though the amount of material degraded under anoxic conditions was significantly less than when oxygen was present, suggesting that oxygen increased rates of particulate material degradation.

The Trophic Consequences of Oyster Stock Rehabilitation in Chesapeake Bay

There is mounting speculation that overharvesting of oyster stocks (Crassostrea virginica) in Chesapeake Bay may be a factor contributing to the decline in water quality and shifts in the dominance of species inhabiting the estuary. The trophic consequences of increasing the oyster population may be addressed using a simple quasi-equilibrium, mass action model of the exchanges transpiring in the Chesapeake mesohaline ecosystem. According to output from the model, increasing oyster abundance would decrease phytoplankton productivity as well as stocks of pelagic microbes, ctenophores, medusae, and particulate organic carbon. Recently acquired field data on phytoplankton productivity, bacterioplankton, and labile organic carbon in the vicinity of rafted oyster aquaculture support model predictions. The model also indicates that more oysters should increase benthic primary production, fish stocks, and mesozooplankton densities. Hence, augmenting the oyster community by restoring beds or introducing raft culture represents a potentially significant adjunct to the goal of mitigating eutrophication through curtailment of nutrient inputs. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY059 00005

Anaerobic microbial methylation of inorganic tin in estuarine sediment slurries

Estuarine sediment slurries and microorganisms were examined for the ability to methylate inorganic tin. Under controlled redox conditions, tin was methylated only in oxygen-free sediment slurries. Monomethyltin usually comprised greater than 90% of the alkyltin products formed, although dimethyltin was also produced. Autoclaved anoxic sediments did not produce organotins. Several bacterial cultures, most notably sulfate-reducing bacteria isolated from anoxic estuarine sediments, formed monoand dimethyltin from inorganic tin in the absence of sediment. The results suggest that inorganic tin methylation in estuarine environments is an anaerobic process catalyzed primarily by sulfate-reducing microorganisms.

Inorganic sulfur turnover in oligohaline estuarine sediments

Inorganic sulfur turnover was examined in oligohaline (salinity < 2 g kg-1) Chesapeake Bay sediments during the summer. Cores incubated for < 3 hr exhibited higher sulfate reduction (SR) rates (13–58 mmol m-2 d-1) than those incubated for 3–8 hr (3–8 mmol m-2 d-1). SR rates (determined with35SO42-) increased with depth over the top few cm to a maximum at 5 cm, just beneath the boundary between brown and black sediment. SR rates decreased below 5 cm, probably due to sulfate limitation (sulfate < 25 μM). Kinetic experiments yielded an apparent half-saturating sulfate concentration (Ks) of 34 μM, ≈ 20-fold lower than that determined for sediments from the mesohaline region of the estuary. Sulfate loss from water overlying intact cores, predicted on the basis of measured SR rates, was not observed over a 28-hr incubation period. Reduction of35SO42- during diffusion experiments with intact core segments from 0–4 and 5–9 cm horizons was less than predicted by non-steady state diagenetic models based on35SO42- reduction in whole core injection experiments. The results indicate that net sulfate flux into sediments was an order of magnitude lower than the gross sulfur turnover rate. Solid phase reduced inorganic sulfur concentrations were only 2–3 times less than those in sediments from the mesohaline region of the Bay, despite the fact that oligohaline bottom water sulfate concentrations were 10-fold lower. Our results demonstrate the potential for rapid SR in low salinity estuarine sediments, which are inhabited by sulfate-reducing bacteria with a high affinity for sulfate, and in which sulfide oxidation processes replenish the pore water sulfate pool on a time scale of hours.

Characterization of Plasmid pRT1 from Pyrococcus sp. Strain JT1

We discovered a 3,373-bp plasmid (pRT1) in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus sp. strain JT1. Two major open reading frames were identified, and analysis of the sequence revealed some resemblance to motifs typically found in plasmids that replicate via a rolling-circle mechanism. The presence of single-stranded DNA replication intermediates of pRT1 was detected, confirming this mode of replication.

Carbon cycling in mesohaline Chesapeake Bay sediments 1: POC deposition rates and mineralization pathways

Organic carbon cycling in sediments at two locations in the mesohaline Chesapeake Bay was analyzed using available data on sediment sulfate reduction, sediment oxygen consumption, and particulate organic carbon (POC) deposition and burial. Estimates of POC deposition based on the sum of integrated sediment metabolism and POC burial compared well with direct estimates derived from chlorophyll-a collection rates in mid-water column sediment traps. The range of POC deposition estimates (15-31 mol C m -2 yr -1 ) accounted for a large fraction (36-74%) of average annual net primary production in the mesohaline Bay. The difference between rates of POC deposition and permanent burial indicated that 70-85% of deposited carbon is mineralized on the time scale of a year. Carbon mineralization through sulfate reduction accounted for 30-35% of average net primary production, and was likely responsible for 60-80% of total sediment carbon metabolism. Oxidation of reduced sulfur accounted for a large but quantitatively uncertain portion of SOC in mid-Bay sediments. Our results highlight the quantitative significance of organic carbon sedimentation and attendant anaerobic sediment metabolism in the carbon cycle of a shallow, highly productive estuary.

Carbon cycling in mesohaline Chesapeake Bay sediments 2 : Kinetics of particulate and dissolved organic carbon turnover

Temporal and depth variations in benthic carbon metabolism rates were examined in relation to particulate organic carbon (POC) deposition rates and particulate and dissolved organic carbon degradation kinetics in two sediments from the mesohaline region of Chesapeake Bay. The depth distribution of a single pool of metabolizable POC (MPOC) in mid-Bay sediments was estimated by curve-fitting of dry weight POC profiles (1-G approach). Estimated MPOC pools accounted for 3-4% of total POC content in the upper 10 cm of sediment. First-order MPOC decay constants of 10 yr -1 during the warm season were estimated from the ratio of MPOC pool size to weighted-average MPOC deposition rate derived from mid-water column sediment trap deployments. These results indicated that the MPOC pool defined by the 1-G approach corresponded to the most readily degradable component of coastal marine phytoplankton detritus. Transient-state kinetic models of MPOC turnover, based on observed MPOC deposition rates and temperature-dependent mineralization, predicted MPOC accumulation in sediments during the spring followed by depletion during the summer. The models also predicted an early summer maximum in MPOC mineralization rate associated with the degradation of MPOC accumulated during the spring, in agreement with the seasonal pattern of sulfate reduction rates in mid-Bay sediments. Model results suggested that MPOC deposition during the summer is important in maintaining high rates of benthic carbon metabolism throughout the warm season. Steady-state and transient-state models of depth-dependent POC degradation suggested that particle mixing influences the depth distribution of MPOC concentration and turnover rate within the upper 4-6 cm of mid-Bay sediments. However, because of the rapid rate of MPOC decay, random particle mixing is unlikely to transport significant quantities of MPOC below 4-6 cm. A steady-state diagenetic model was used to test the hypothesis that downward diffusion of acetate produced by anaerobic decomposition of MPOC in the upper 4-6 cm fuels sulfate reduction deeper in the sediment. The results suggest that because of the very rapid turnover of acetate pools (≥ 2 hr -1 ), acetate diffusion does not influence the depth distribution of carbon metabolism in the sediment. Therefore, sulfate reduction occurring at depths below 4-6 cm must be fueled by decomposition of some portion of the large pool of relatively refractory sediment POC. Degradation of this material is likely responsible for =1/3 of total warm season benthic carbon metabolism.

The effect of environmental storage conditions on the organic content of simulated coal leachates

Simulated coal leaching experiments were conducted at 25°C and 7°C, after lime treatment, and under reduced oxygen tension. Leachate from coal stored at lower temperatures, reduced oxygen and had higher pH values with lime, lower conductivities, and lower concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total organic carbon (TOC) than leachates from coal stored at higher temperatures and/or oxygen rich conditions. The leaching of DOC is related to acid production by chemoautotrophic bacteria. Lower concentrations of DOC in leachates from coal treated with lime can be attributed to neutralization, subsequent decreased production of acidity by autotrophic bacteria, and utilization of DOC by heterotrophic bacteria. Concentrations of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons associated with the liquid fraction of leachates were not influenced by temperature or reduced oxygen concentration. Changes in the aliphatic hydrocarbon content of the coal leachates are related to metabolism by heterotrophic bacteria and/or to decreased acidity.