Denitrification rates in lake sediments of mountains affected by high atmospheric nitrogen deposition
Palacín-Lizarbe, Carlos (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Camarero, Lluís (Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes)
Hallin, Sara (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology)
Jones, Christopher (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology)
Catalán, Jordi (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)

Date:	2020
Abstract:	During the last decades, atmospheric nitrogen loading in mountain ranges of the Northern Hemisphere has increased substantially, resulting in high nitrate concentrations in many lakes. Yet, how increased nitrogen has affected denitrification, a key process for nitrogen removal, is poorly understood. We measured actual and potential (nitrate and carbon amended) denitrification rates in sediments of several lake types and habitats in the Pyrenees during the ice-free season. Actual denitrification rates ranged from 0 to 9 μmol N2O m-2 h-1 (mean, 1. 5 ± 1. 6 SD), whereas potential rates were about 10-times higher. The highest actual rates occurred in warmer sediments with more nitrate available in the overlying water. Consequently, littoral habitats showed, on average, 3-fold higher rates than the deep zone. The highest denitrification potentials were found in more productive lakes located at relatively low altitude and small catchments, with warmer sediments, high relative abundance of denitrification nitrite reductase genes, and sulphate-rich waters. We conclude that increased nitrogen deposition has resulted in elevated denitrification rates, but not sufficiently to compensate for the atmospheric nitrogen loading in most of the highly oligotrophic lakes. However, there is potential for high rates, especially in the more productive lakes and landscape features largely govern this.
Grants:	Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2016-80124-C2-1-P Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2013-45348-P Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2010-19737 Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte FPU12-00644
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Atmospheric chemistry ; Climate-change mitigation ; Element cycles ; Limnology ; Microbial ecology
Published in:	Scientific reports, Vol. 10 (2020) , art. 3003, ISSN 2045-2322

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59759-w
PMID: 32080240

9 p, 1.5 MB

Supplementary information 6 p, 4.2 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles