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Tidal pulsing alters nitrous oxide fluxes in a temperate intertidal mudflat
Author(s) -
Vieillard A. M.,
Fulweiler R. W.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.1890/13-1333.1
Subject(s) - intertidal zone , sink (geography) , nitrous oxide , denitrification , nutrient , environmental science , ecosystem , nitrate , environmental chemistry , temperate climate , oceanography , nitrogen , ecology , hydrology (agriculture) , chemistry , geology , biology , cartography , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , geography
Environmental pulses, or sudden, marked changes to the conditions within an ecosystem, can be important drivers of resource availability in many systems. In this study, we investigated the effect of tidal pulsing on the fluxes of nitrous oxide (N 2 O), a powerful greenhouse gas, from a marine intertidal mudflat on the north shore of Massachusetts, USA. We found these tidal flat sediments to be a sink of N 2 O at low tide with an average uptake rate of −6.7 ± 2 μmol·m −2 ·h −1 . Further, this N 2 O sink increased the longer sediments were tidally exposed. These field measurements, in conjunction with laboratory nutrient additions, revealed that this flux appears to be driven primarily by sediment denitrification. Additionally, N 2 O uptake was most responsive to dissolved inorganic nitrogen with phosphorus (DIN+DIP) addition, suggesting that the N 2 O consumption process may be P limited. Furthermore, nutrient addition experiments suggest that dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) releases N 2 O at the highest levels of nitrate fertilization. Our findings indicate that tidal flats are important sinks of N 2 O, potentially capable of offsetting the release of this potent greenhouse gas by other, nearby ecosystems.