Abstract
Elemental (TOC, TN, C/N) and stable carbon isotopic (δ13C) compositions and long-chain alkane (nC16−38) concentrations were measured for eight major plants and a sediment core collected from the Yellow River estuarine wetlands. Our results indicate that both C3 (−25.4‰ to −29.6‰) and C4 (−14.2‰ to −15.0‰) plants are growing in the wetlands and C3 plants are the predominant species. The biomass of the wetland plants had similar organic carbon (35.5–45.8%) but very different organic nitrogen (0.35–4.15%) contents. Both C3 and C4 plants all contained long-chain alkanes with strong odd-to-even carbon numbered chain predominance. Phragmites australis, a dominant C3 plant contained mainly nC29 and nC31 homologues. Aeluropus littoralis, an abundant C4 plant were concentrated with nC27 and nC29 homologues. Organic matter preserved in the Yellow River estuarine sediments showed strong terrestrial signals (C/N = 11–16, δ13C = −22.0‰ to −24.3‰). The distribution of long-chain n-alkanes in sediments also showed strong odd-to-even carbon chain predominance with nC29 and nC31 being the most abundant homologues. These results suggest that organic matter preserved in the Yellow River estuarine sediments were influenced by the wetland-derived organic matter, mainly C3 plants. The Yellow River estuarine wetland plants could play important role affecting both the carbon and nutrient cycling in the estuary and adjacent coastal waters.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adam, P., 1990. Salt marsh ecology. Cambridge University Press. New York, 461pp.
Bray, E. E., and Evans, E. D., 1961. Distribution of n-paraffins as a clue to recognition of source beds. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 22: 2–15.
Bush, R. T., and McInerney, F. A., 2013. Leaf wax n-alkane distributions in and across modern plants: Implication for paleoecology and chemotaxonomy. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 117: 161–179.
Cloern, J. E., Canuel, E. A., and Harris, D., 2002. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition of aquatic and terrestrial plants of the San Francisco Bay estuarine system. Limnology and Oceanography, 47 (3): 713–729.
Collister, J. W., Rieley, G., Stern, B., Eglinton, G., and Fry, B., 1994. Compound-specific δ13C analyses of leaf lipids from plants with differing carbon dioxide metabolisms. Organic Geochemistry, 21: 619–627.
Doody, J. P., 2008. Saltmarsh Conservation, Management and Restoration. Springer Netherlands, 12pp.
Eglinton, G., and Hamilton, R.J., 1963. The distribution of alkanes. Chemical Plant Taxonomy, 187–217pp.
Farrington, J. W., and Tripp, B. W., 1977. Hydrocarbons in western North Atlantic surface sediments. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 41 (11): 1627–1641.
Han, W. X., Fang, J. Y., Guo, D. L., and Zhang, Y., 2005. Leaf nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry across 753 terrestrial plant species in China. New Phytologist, 168 (2): 377–385.
Han, M., Zhang, X. H., and Liu L. Y., 2006. Research progress on wetland of the yellow river delta. Ecology and Environment. 15 (4): 872–875 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Hicks, R. E., Lee, C., and Marinucci, A.C., 1991. Loss and recycling of amino acids and protein from smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) litter. Estuaries, 14: 430–439.
Jackson, D., Harkness, D. D., Mason, C. F., and Long, S. P., 1986. Spartina anglica as a carbon source for salt-marsh invertebrates: a study using δ13C values. Oikos, 46: 163–170.
Laffoley, D., and Grimsdich, G., 2009. The management of natural coastal carbon sinks. A short summary. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. 8pp.
Marinucci, A. C., 1982. Tropical importance of Spartina alterniflora production and decomposition to the marsh estuarine ecosystem. Biological Conservation, 21 (1): 35–58.
Nixon, S. W., 1980. Between coastal marshes and coastal waters — A review of twenty years of speculation and research on the role of salt marshes in estuarine productivity and water chemistry. Estuarine and Wetland Processes, 437–525pp.
Pearson, A., and Eglinton, T. I., 2000. The origin of n-alkanes in Santa Monica Basin surface sediment: a model based on compoundspecific δ13C and δ14C data. Organic Geochemistry, 31: 1103–1116.
Pendleton, L., Donato, D. C., Murray, B. C., Crooks, S., Jenkins, W. A., and Sifleet, S., 2012. Estimating global “blue carbon” emissions from conversion and degradation of vegetated coastal ecosystems. Plos One, 7 (9): e43542.
Peterson, B. J., and Howarth, R. W., 1987. Sulfur, carbon and nitrogen isotopes used to trace organic matter flow in the salt-marsh estuaries of Sapelo Island, Georgia. Limnology and Oceanography, 32: 1195–1213.
Pomeroy L. R., and Wiegert R. G., 1981. The ecology of a salt marsh. Springer-Verlag, New York, 39–67pp.
Prahl, F. G., Ertel, J. R., Goni, M. A., Sparrow, M. A., and Eversmeyer, B., 1994. Terrestrial organic carbon contributions to sediments on the Washington margin. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 58: 3035–3048.
Schiebel, H. N., Gardner, G. B., Wang, X. C., Peri, F., and Chen, R. F., 2017. Seasonal export of dissolved organic matter from a New England salt marsh. Journal of Coastal Research. DOI: 10.2112/jcoastres-d-16-00196.1.
Sousa, A. I., Lillebø, A. I., Pardal, M. A., Cacador, I., 2010. The influence of Spartina maritima on carbon retention capacity in salt marshes from warm-temperate estuaries. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 61 (4–6): 215–223.
Tao, S. Q., Eglinton, T. I., Montluçon, D. B., Mcintyre, C., and Zhao, M., 2016. Diverse origins and pre-depositional histories of organic matter in contemporary chinese marginal sea sediments. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 191: 70–88.
Valiela, I., Teal, J. M., Allen, S. D., Etten, R. V., and Goehringer, D., 1985. Decomposition in salt marsh ecosystems: the phases and major factors affecting disappearance of above-ground organic matter. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 89 (1): 29–54.
Vogel, J. C., 1993. Variability of carbon isotope fractionation during photosynthesis. Stable Isotopes and Plant Carbone Water Relations. Stable Isotopes and Plant Carbon-water Relations, 7 (3): 29–46.
Wang, X. C., Chen, R. F., and Berry, A., 2003. Sources and preservation of organic matter in Plum Island salt marsh sediments (MA, USA): Long-chain n-alkanes and stable carbon isotope compositions. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 58 (4): 917–928.
Wang, X. C., Litz, L., Chen, R. F., Huang, W., Feng, P. and Altabet, M. A., 2007. Release of dissolved organic matter during oxic and anoxic decomposition of salt marsh cordgrass. Marine Chemistry, 105 (3): 309–321.
Warren, R. S., 2012. Coastal eutrophication as a driver of salt marsh loss. Nature, 490: 388–392.
Xing, L., Hou, D., Wang, X. C., Li, L., and Zhao, M. X., 2016. Assessment of the sources of sedimentary organic matter in the Bohai Sea and the northern Yellow Sea using biomarker proxies. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 176: 67–75.
Xue, Y. J., Zou, L., Ge, T. T., and Wang X. C., 2017. Mobilization and export of millennial-aged organic carbon by the Yellow River. Limnology and Oceanography, 62: S95–S111, DOI: 10.1002/lno.10579.
Yao, P., Yin, H. Z., Yao, Q. Z., Chen, H. T., and Liu, Y. L., 2012. Composition of n-Alkanes in Soils of the Yellow River Estuary Wetlands and Their Potential as Organic Matter Source Indicators. Environmental Science, 33 (10): 3457–3465 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Acknowledgments
We thank Yuejun Xue, Wenjing Fu and Yuanzhi Qi for help during field sampling and laboratory experiments. Financial support for this work was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants # 41476057, 41521064).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhang, T., Wang, X. Stable Carbon Isotope and Long-Chain Alkane Compositions of the Major Plants and Sediment Organic Matter in the Yellow River Estuarine Wetlands. J. Ocean Univ. China 18, 735–742 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-019-3918-2
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-019-3918-2