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Biochemical composition of organic aggregates produced from marine macrophyte‐derived dissolved organic matter
Author(s) -
Alber Merryl,
Valiela Ivan
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1994.39.3.0717
Subject(s) - macrophyte , detritus , composition (language) , marine snow , organic matter , dissolved organic carbon , environmental chemistry , chemistry , nitrogen , ecology , water column , biology , organic chemistry , philosophy , linguistics
Organic aggregates produced by bubbling dissolved organic material released from five different coastal macrophytes were analyzed for biochemical composition (carbohydrate, protein, carbon, and nitrogen content). The composition of aggregates did not reflect that of either the macrophyte or the soluble material from which they were derived and did not vary with species. These results, coupled with the fact that aggregate composition was similar to that reported for bacteria, support the hypothesis that the process of aggregation was largely driven by microbial processes. The composition of morphous detritus (recognizable fragments of decomposing macrophytes) did vary with species and was related to that of the initial macrophyte. Morphous detritus had higher C : N ratios and was lower in protein than aggregates. The composition of aggregates was also different than that reported for marine snow.