Tarik Meziane

Amazon River carbon dioxide outgassing fuelled by wetlands

River systems connect the terrestrial biosphere, the atmosphere and the ocean in the global carbon cycle. A recent estimate suggests that up to 3 petagrams of carbon per year could be emitted as carbon dioxide (CO2) from global inland waters, offsetting the carbon uptake by terrestrial ecosystems. It is generally assumed that inland waters emit carbon that has been previously fixed upstream by land plant photosynthesis, then transferred to soils, and subsequently transported downstream in run-off. But at the scale of entire drainage basins, the lateral carbon fluxes carried by small rivers upstream do not account for all of the CO2 emitted from inundated areas downstream. Three-quarters of the world’s flooded land consists of temporary wetlands, but the contribution of these productive ecosystems to the inland water carbon budget has been largely overlooked. Here we show that wetlands pump large amounts of atmospheric CO2 into river waters in the floodplains of the central Amazon. Flooded forests and floating vegetation export large amounts of carbon to river waters and the dissolved CO2 can be transported dozens to hundreds of kilometres downstream before being emitted. We estimate that Amazonian wetlands export half of their gross primary production to river waters as dissolved CO2 and organic carbon, compared with only a few per cent of gross primary production exported in upland (not flooded) ecosystems. Moreover, we suggest that wetland carbon export is potentially large enough to account for at least the 0.21 petagrams of carbon emitted per year as CO2 from the central Amazon River and its floodplains. Global carbon budgets should explicitly address temporary or vegetated flooded areas, because these ecosystems combine high aerial primary production with large, fast carbon export, potentially supporting a substantial fraction of CO2 evasion from inland waters.

The use of lipid markers to define sources of organic matter in sediment and food web of the intertidal salt-marsh-flat ecosystem of Mont-Saint-Michel Bay, France

Abstract Salt marsh plants and seven surface sediment samples along a transect in the intertidal flat area of Mont-Saint-Michel Bay were analysed for fatty acids and sterols. The presence of lipid markers of halophytes (long-chain fatty acids, 18:3ω3, and phytosterols) in the surface layers of the sediment confirms the export of organic matter from the salt marsh to the intertidal flat. The spatial distribution of this organic matter over the tidal-flat area was controlled by the tidal currents and the presence of mussel beds. Lipid markers of diatoms (20:5ω3 and brassicasterol) and bacteria (18:1ω7 and odd, linear and branched, fatty acids) were also found in the surface sediments. Diatoms and benthic bacteria as well as organic matter from the salt marsh were the significant food sources available to the macrozoobenthos on the intertidal flat. The ingestion of these food types by the dominant species of the macrozoobenthos was confirmed by the presence of their respective lipid markers in the animals. The presence of these markers in animals subjected to a starvation experiment confirmed that these food types are really assimilated. The lipid composition of the starved animals indicated that the species studied were able to accumulate the fatty acid 20:5ω3 (considered to be a diatom marker), and that the annelid Nereis diversicolor supported an internal bacterial population.

Highly Dynamic Cellular-Level Response of Symbiotic Coral to a Sudden Increase in Environmental Nitrogen

ABSTRACT Metabolic interactions with endosymbiotic photosynthetic dinoflagellate Symbiodinium spp. are fundamental to reef-building corals (Scleractinia) thriving in nutrient-poor tropical seas. Yet, detailed understanding at the single-cell level of nutrient assimilation, translocation, and utilization within this fundamental symbiosis is lacking. Using pulse-chase 15N labeling and quantitative ion microprobe isotopic imaging (NanoSIMS; nanoscale secondary-ion mass spectrometry), we visualized these dynamic processes in tissues of the symbiotic coral Pocillopora damicornis at the subcellular level. Assimilation of ammonium, nitrate, and aspartic acid resulted in rapid incorporation of nitrogen into uric acid crystals (after ~45 min), forming temporary N storage sites within the dinoflagellate endosymbionts. Subsequent intracellular remobilization of this metabolite was accompanied by translocation of nitrogenous compounds to the coral host, starting at ~6 h. Within the coral tissue, nitrogen is utilized in specific cellular compartments in all four epithelia, including mucus chambers, Golgi bodies, and vesicles in calicoblastic cells. Our study shows how nitrogen-limited symbiotic corals take advantage of sudden changes in nitrogen availability; this opens new perspectives for functional studies of nutrient storage and remobilization in microbial symbioses in changing reef environments. IMPORTANCE The methodology applied, combining transmission electron microscopy with nanoscale secondary-ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) imaging of coral tissue labeled with stable isotope tracers, allows quantification and submicrometric localization of metabolic fluxes in an intact symbiosis. This study opens the way for investigations of physiological adaptations of symbiotic systems to nutrient availability and for increasing knowledge of global nitrogen and carbon biogeochemical cycling. The methodology applied, combining transmission electron microscopy with nanoscale secondary-ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) imaging of coral tissue labeled with stable isotope tracers, allows quantification and submicrometric localization of metabolic fluxes in an intact symbiosis. This study opens the way for investigations of physiological adaptations of symbiotic systems to nutrient availability and for increasing knowledge of global nitrogen and carbon biogeochemical cycling.

Stable isotope and fatty acid tracers in energy and nutrient studies of jellyfish: a review

Studies of the trophic ecology of gelatinous zooplankton have predominantly employed gut content analyses and grazing experiments. These approaches record only what is consumed rather than what is assimilated by the jellyfish, only provide evidence of recent feeding, and unless digestion rates of different prey are known, may provide biased estimates of the relative importance of different prey to jellyfish diets. Biochemical tracers, such as stable isotopes and fatty acids, offer several advantages because they differentiate between what is assimilated and what is simply ingested, they provide an analysis of diet that is integrated over time, and may be useful for identifying contributions from sources (e.g., bacteria) that cannot be achieved using gut content approaches. Stable isotope analysis has become more rigorous through recent advances that provide: (1) signature determination of microscopic organisms such as microalgae, (2) analysis of dissolved organic carbon, and (3) improved quantification of relative source contributions. The limitation that natural tracer techniques require different dietary sources to have unique signatures can potentially be overcome using pulse-chase isotope enrichment experiments. Trophic studies of gelatinous zooplankton would benefit by integrating several approaches. For example, gut content analyses may be used to identify potential dietary sources. Stable isotopes could then be used to determine which sources are assimilated and modeling could be used to quantify the contribution of different sources to the diet. Analysis of fatty acid profiles could be used to identify contributions of bacterioplankton to the diet and, potentially, to provide an alternative means of identifying dietary sources in situations where the isotopic signatures of different potential dietary sources overlap. In this review, we outline the application, advantages, and limitations of gut content analyses and stable isotope and fatty acid tracer techniques and discuss the benefits of using an integrated approach toward studies of the trophic ecology of gelatinous zooplankton.

Growth and condition indices of juvenile turbot, Scophthalmus maximus, exposed to contaminated sediments: Effects of metallic and organic compounds.

Since sediments have the potential to form associations with several classes of pollutants, they have been recognized as a possible and significant source of contamination for the benthic environment. Flatfish maintain a close association with sediments for food and cover, and are therefore more likely to be exposed to contaminated sediments, especially in coastal areas (e.g. nursery grounds). The assessment of these potential biological effects involves the use of adapted biomonitoring tools. The main objective of this study was to assess and compare the response of several physiological biomarkers measured on juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) exposed to contaminated sediments. Sediments were collected from three stations in a harbour in northern France (Boulogne-sur-Mer), in an anthropogenic French estuary (the Seine), and in a reference site (exposed sandy beach of Wimereux). Unexposed lab-reared juvenile turbots were exposed to sediments for 7 and 21 days in laboratory conditions. Sediments were analysed for metals, PAH and PCB contamination. Several fish growth and condition indices were individually analysed in fish according to the chemical contaminant availability in sediment, the metal concentrations in gills and the estimation of PAH metabolites in their bile. Significant decreases in growth rates, morphometric index, RNA:DNA ratio and the lipid storage index, based on the ratio of the quantity of triacylglycerols on sterols (TAG:ST), were observed with increasing level of chemical contamination. This decrease in the fishs physiological status could be related to the significant increase of several metal concentrations in contaminated fish gills and the significant increase of PAH metabolites in bile. In a field situation, such a reduction in growth and energetic status of juvenile fish could dramatically decrease their over-winter survival in contaminated nursery grounds.

Responses of juvenile sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, exposed to acute concentrations of crude oil, as assessed by molecular and physiological biomarkers

In the present study, juvenile sea bass were exposed for 48 and 96 h to an Arabian light crude oil and their responses were assessed at the molecular and physiological levels. The aim of the study was therefore to assess (i) the short term effects of crude oil exposure by the measurement of several molecular biomarkers, (ii) the consequences of this short term exposure on fish health by using growth and condition indices measured after a decontamination period of 28 and 26 d in seawater. Hydrocarbon petroleum concentrations was monitored during the 96 h experiments and an increase of PAH concentrations were found in fish following both exposure times. An 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) induction was observed after 48 h of exposure, while a significant decrease in the sea bass specific growth rate in length and for the RNA:DNA ratio was observed 28 d after that exposure ceased. The EROD induction doubled after the 96 h exposure, and a significant increase in GST activities was observed. A significant decrease in the specific growth rates, the otolith recent growth, the RNA:DNA ratio and the Fultons K condition index were then observed in sea bass 26 d after the 96 h exposure to mechanically dispersed crude oil compared to the control. The present study shows that growth and condition indices can prove useful in assessing fish health status following an oil spill. Their complementary analysis with sensitive molecular biomarkers as EROD could improve the determination of oil spill impact on fish populations.

Particulate Organic Matter Distribution along the Lower Amazon River: Addressing Aquatic Ecology Concepts Using Fatty Acids

One of the greatest challenges in understanding the Amazon basin functioning is to ascertain the role played by floodplains in the organic matter (OM) cycle, crucial for a large spectrum of ecological mechanisms. Fatty acids (FAs) were combined with environmental descriptors and analyzed through multivariate and spatial tools (asymmetric eigenvector maps, AEM and principal coordinates of neighbor matrices, PCNM). This challenge allowed investigating the distribution of suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM), in order to trace its seasonal origin and quality, along a 800 km section of the Amazon river-floodplain system. Statistical analysis confirmed that large amounts of saturated FAs (15:0, 18:0, 24:0, 25:0 and 26:0), an indication of refractory OM, were concomitantly recorded with high pCO2 in rivers, during the high water season (HW). Contrastingly, FAs marker which may be attributed in this ecosystem to aquatic plants (18:2ω6 and 18:3ω3) and cyanobacteria (16:1ω7), were correlated with higher O2, chlorophyll a and pheopigments in floodplains, due to a high primary production during low waters (LW). Decreasing concentrations of unsaturated FAs, that characterize labile OM, were recorded during HW, from upstream to downstream. Furthermore, using PCNM and AEM spatial methods, FAs compositions of SPOM displayed an upstream-downstream gradient during HW, which was attributed to OM retention and the extent of flooded forest in floodplains. Discrimination of OM quality between the Amazon River and floodplains corroborate higher autotrophic production in the latter and transfer of OM to rivers at LW season. Together, these gradients demonstrate the validity of FAs as predictors of spatial and temporal changes in OM quality. These spatial and temporal trends are explained by 1) downstream change in landscape morphology as predicted by the River Continuum Concept; 2) enhanced primary production during LW when the water level decreased and its residence time increased as predicted by the Flood Pulse Concept.

Seasonal Pattern of the Biogeochemical Properties of Mangrove Sediments Receiving Shrimp Farm Effluents (New Caledonia)

Coastal tropical shrimp farming may impact the adjacent ecosystems through the release of large quantities of effluents rich in nutrients. In New Caledonia, mangroves are considered as a natural biofilter to reduce impacts on the surrounding World Heritage listed lagoon. Our main objective was to understand the influence of effluent discharge on the biogeochemistry of mangrove sediments. A monitoring of the physico-chemical parameters of mangrove sediments was carried out during a whole year, including active and non active periods of the farm. The parameters studied were: i) benthic primary production (Chl-a concentrations), ii) physico-chemical parameters of sediments (redox potential, pH, salinity, TOC, TN, TS, δ13C and δ15N), iii) concentrations of dissolved nitrogen, iron and phosphorus. A mangrove developing in the same physiographic conditions, presenting the same zonation, and free of anthropogenic input was used as reference. The concentration of benthic Chl-a measured at sediment surface in the effluent receiving mangrove was twice to three times that measured in the control zone whatever the season. We thus suggest that nutrients inputs significantly increased the phytobenthic production in the effluent receiving mangrove during the whole year, even after the cessation of discharges and because of natural seasonal dynamic of phytobenthos. Although the flow of surface OM was increased, the OM content at depth was not higher than in the control mangrove. However, the contribution of mangrove detritus to the sedimentary organic pool was higher probably as a result of higher density and much greater individual size of the mangrove trees. Unlike the control mangrove sediment, the effluent receiving mangrove sediment was not stratified, redox potential values were high and presence of Fe3+ was detected down to 50 cm depth, probably as a result of a larger root system, allowing a better sediment oxygenation and accentuated OM decomposition processes, and thus limiting ecosystem saturation.

Role of biotic interactions on seasonal migrations of the macrozoobenthos living in the upper tidal-flat of the Mont-Saint-Michel bay, France

Abstract On the tidal flat of the western part of the Mont-Saint-Michel bay, the macrozoobenthos of the upper flat is characterised by an assemblage of the Macoma balthica community. The dominant species are M. balthica , Nereis diversicolor and Corophium volutator . A field monitoring during a 1-year period along a four-stations transect perpendicularly to the shore showed that biotic interactions affected the local distributions of these species. This was particularly obvious from late spring to late summer while, because of the density increases, competitions for space and/or resources were induced, which stimulated migrations. Intra-specific competition seemed to induce the migration of the 1-year-old M. balthica . Consequently, the migration of the young bivalves from the level where this species is dominant to upper levels stimulated the migration of C. volutator population. This migration had a negative effect on the abundance of the amphipods. The migration of N. diversicolor during the end of the summer population to the lower levels of the tidal flat seemed to prevent the return of the C. volutator population to their original before-migration area, even though M. balthica density decreased.

Fatty acid markers as an indicator for temporal changes in food sources of the bivalve Quidnipagus palatum

Changes in the fatty acid composition in the tissues of the bivalve Quidnipagus palatum from the Tomigusuku intertidal flat, Okinawa, Japan, collected in four different seasons (November 2000, the beginning of cold season; January 2001, the cold season; May 2001, the rainy season; and July 2001, the warm season) were examined and compared to the composition of surface sediments and suspended particulate materials. Assessment of fatty acid markers suggested that the food sources of Q. palatum differed between seasons and depended on the sources of organic material present in the sediment and water column. Vascular plants and bacteria were the main dietary components from July to November because of their abundance in the sediment. From November to January, macroalgae and phytoplankton were the major food sources of Q. palatum, corresponding to their predominance in sediments and algal blooms, respectively. During the May rainy season, organic matter in the sediment was dominated by diatoms, whereas the water column contained diatoms and resuspended macroalgal detritus. The transition to the warm season by July significantly increased the contribution of diatoms to the organic matter present in both the sediment and the water column. Consequently, from May to July, diatoms became the main food source for Q. palatum.