Title:
Natural abundance of ¹⁵N in particulate nitrogen and zooplankton in the Chesapeake Bay
Natural abundance of ¹⁵N in particulate nitrogen and zooplankton in the Chesapeake Bay
| dc.contributor.author | Montoya, Joseph P. | en_US |
| dc.contributor.author | Horrigan, S. G. | en_US |
| dc.contributor.author | McCarthy, J. J. | en_US |
| dc.contributor.corporatename | Harvard University. Museum of Comparative Zoology | en_US |
| dc.contributor.corporatename | State University of New York at Stony Brook. Marine Sciences Research Center | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2012-03-27T20:23:50Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2012-03-27T20:23:50Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 1990-07 | |
| dc.description | © 1990 Inter-Research | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | Samples of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), particulate nitrogen (PN), and several species of zooplankton were collected at a series of stations in the main channel of the Chesapeake Bay, USA, during cruises in spring and fall 1984. The spatial and temporal variation in the natural abundance of ¹⁵N (δ¹⁵N) in each of these pools, in combination with measurements of the concentrations of DIN, PN, plant pigments, and the rates of biologically-mediated transformations of nitrogen, provide a number of insights into the dynamics of the nitrogen cycle in the Chesapeake Bay. During both spring and fall δ¹⁵N of surface layer PN showed no consistent Bay-wide pattern of distribution. Instead, the overall gradient of DIN concentrations along the axis of the Bay appears to be less important than local processes in determining the distribution of ¹⁵N in PN. The relationship between δ¹⁵N PN and δ¹⁵N of dissolved pools indicated that phytoplankton uptake was the dominant process acting on DIN in spring, but that microbially-mediated transformations of nitrogen dominated in fall. During both seasons δ¹⁵N of particulate and dissolved pools suggested that phytoplankton consume both NO₃ and NH₄⁺ roughly in proportion to concentration. The δ¹⁵N of the zooplankton species sampled generally increased with trophic level. The δ¹⁵N of the copepod Acartia tonsa was higher than that of PN by 4.2 ± 2.3 ‰ (X ± SD) in spring and 3.3 ±1.0 ‰ (X±SD) in fall. Similarly. δ¹⁵N of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi was higher than that of A. tonsa by 2.0 ± 2.6‰ (X±SD) in spring and 3.3 ±1.0‰ (X±SD) in fall. A reversal of the usual relationship between A. tonsa and M. leidyi occurred near the southern end of the Bay during spring, where δ¹⁵N of the copepod was greater than that of the ctenophore by as much as 4.9‰. In general, spatial variability of δ¹⁵N of all 3 of these trophic levels (PN, copepods, and ctenophores) was greater in spring than in all, suggesting that phyto- and zooplankton have a greater direct influence on the estuarine nitrogen cycle during spring. A comparison of the 2 transects conducted on each cruise demonstrates that δ¹⁵N of the PN and A. tonsa, but not that of M. leidyi, can change markedly on a time scale of roughly a week. Such changes clearly indicate that repeated sampling may be essential in studies of the natural abundance of ¹⁵N in dynamic planktonic systems such as that in the Chesapeake Bay. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.citation | Montoya, J.P., S.G. Horrigan and J.J. McCarthy. 1990. Natural abundance of ¹⁵N in particulate nitrogen and zooplankton in the Chesapeake Bay. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 65: 35-61. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.issn | 0171-8630 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1853/43101 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | en |
| dc.publisher | Georgia Institute of Technology | en_US |
| dc.publisher.original | Inter-Research | en_US |
| dc.subject | Nitrogen cycle | en_US |
| dc.subject | δ¹⁵N | en_US |
| dc.subject | Zooplankton species | en_US |
| dc.subject | Chesapeake Bay | en_US |
| dc.title | Natural abundance of ¹⁵N in particulate nitrogen and zooplankton in the Chesapeake Bay | en_US |
| dc.type | Text | |
| dc.type.genre | Article | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| local.contributor.author | Montoya, Joseph P. | |
| local.contributor.corporatename | College of Sciences | |
| local.contributor.corporatename | School of Biological Sciences | |
| relation.isAuthorOfPublication | 0000b67d-bef5-4edf-b2d6-3577c297f4c3 | |
| relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication | 85042be6-2d68-4e07-b384-e1f908fae48a | |
| relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication | c8b3bd08-9989-40d3-afe3-e0ad8d5c72b5 |
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