Rethinking Aerobic Respiration in the Hyporheic Zone under Variation in Carbon and Nitrogen Stoichiometry.

ABSTRACT: Hyporheic zones (HZs)─zones of groundwater-surface water mixing─are hotspots for dissolved organic matter (DOM) and nutrient cycling that can disproportionately impact aquatic ecosystem functions. However, the mechanisms affecting DOM metabolism through space and time in HZs remain poorly understood. To resolve this gap, we investigate a recently proposed theory describing trade-offs between carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) limitations as a key regulator of HZ metabolism. We propose that throughout the extent of the HZ, a single process like aerobic respiration (AR) can be limited by both DOM thermodynamics and N content due to highly variable C/N ratios over short distances (centimeter scale). To investigate this theory, we used a large flume, continuous optode measurements of dissolved oxygen

SUBMITTER: Turetcaia AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10586321 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature