Excretion of dissolved organic carbon by eelgrass (Zostera marina) and its epiphytes

Journal Article · Sun May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1977 · Limnol. Oceanogr.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1977.22.3.0400· OSTI ID:7319537

Penhale, P A ^[1]; Smith, Jr, W O

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1. Atlantic Estuarine Fisheries Center, Beaufort, NC

The release of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) by eelgrass (Zostera marina) and its epiphytic community was examined in a shallow estuarine system near Beaufort, North Carolina. Excretion by eelgrass alone, by epiphytes alone, and by heavily epiphytized eelgrass was determined by radiocarbon techniques using carbon 14. The percent of total photosynthate excreted was small in all cases: 0.9 percent for heavily colonized plants, 1.5 percent for Zostera alone, and 2.0 percent for the epiphytic community. The amount released by the eelgrass and epiphytes was proportional to the total amount of carbon fixed. Excretion rates in the dark were much lower than in the light. The rate of excretion increased after the plant underwent desiccation. The annual primary production and DOC excretion by phytoplankton, cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), and the eelgrass community was estimated: 47 percent of the total annual primary production and 14 percent of the total excreted material was contributed by eelgrass and its epiphytes. Thus the eelgrass and epiphytes can play an important role in carbon cycling in estuarine systems.

• OSTI ID: 7319537
• Journal Information: Limnol. Oceanogr.; (United States), Journal Name: Limnol. Oceanogr.; (United States) Vol. 22:3; ISSN LIOCA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

551001* -- Physiological Systems-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOMASS
CARBON 14
CARBON ISOTOPES
CLEARANCE
COMMUNITIES
DRYING
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENERGY SOURCES
ESTUARIES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EXCRETION
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
METABOLISM
NORTH AMERICA
NORTH CAROLINA
NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PHYTOPLANKTON
PLANKTON
PLANTS
PRODUCTIVITY
RADIATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SOUTHEAST REGION
SURFACE WATERS
USA
VISIBLE RADIATION
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES