Carbon mineralization pathways and bioturbation in coastal Brazilian sediments.

ABSTRACT: Carbon mineralization processes and their dependence on environmental conditions (e.g. through macrobenthic bioturbation) have been widely studied in temperate coastal sediments, but almost nothing is known about these processes in subtropical coastal sediments. This study investigated pathways of organic carbon mineralization and associated effects of macrobenthic bioturbation in winter and summer (September 2012 and February 2014) at the SE Brazilian coast. Iron reduction (FeR) was responsible for 73-81% of total microbial carbon mineralization in September 2012 and 32-61% in February 2014. Similar high rates of FeR have only been documented a few times in coastal sediments and can be sustained by the presence of large bioturbators. Denitrification accounted for 5-27% of total microbial

SUBMITTER: Quintana CO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4630785 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature