Simulated terrestrial runoff shifts the metabolic balance of a coastal Mediterranean plankton community towards heterotrophy

Type : ACL
Nature : Production scientifique
Au bénéfice du Laboratoire : Non
Statut de publication : Publié
Année de publication : 2024
Auteurs (9) : SOULIÉ Tanguy VIDUSSI Franscesca COURBOULES Justine HEYDON Marie MAS S VORON Florian CANTONI Carolina JOUX Fabien MOSTAJIR Behzad
Revue scientifique : Biogeosciences
Volume : 21
Fascicule : 7
Pages : 1887-1902
DOI : 10.5194/bg-21-1887-2024
URL : -
Abstract : Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and intensity of
extreme rainfall events in the Mediterranean region, increasing runoffs
of terrestrial matter into coastal waters. To evaluate the consequences
of terrestrial runoff for plankton key processes, an in situ mesocosm
experiment was conducted for 18 d in the spring of 2021 in the coastal
Mediterranean Thau Lagoon. Terrestrial runoff was simulated in replicate
mesocosms by adding soil from an adjacent oak forest that had matured in
water from the main tributary river of the lagoon. Automated
high-frequency monitoring of dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a
fluorescence, salinity, light, and temperature was combined with manual
sampling of organic and inorganic nutrient pools, pH, carbonate
chemistry, and maximum quantum yield ( F v : F m ) of photosystem II
(PSII). High-frequency data were used to estimate the gross primary
production (GPP) of oxygen, community respiration (CR), and
phytoplankton growth ( mu ) and loss ( L ) rates. During the first half
of the experiment (d2-d11), the simulated runoff reduced light
availability ( - 52 \%), chlorophyll a concentrations ( - 70 \%), and
phytoplankton growth rates ( - 53 \%). However, phytoplankton maintained
a certain level of primary production by increasing its photosynthetic
efficiency. Meanwhile, the runoff enhanced CR ( + 53 \%), shifting the
metabolic status (GPP : CR) of the system toward heterotrophy and
increasing the partial pressure of carbon dioxide ( p CO 2 ),
potentially switching the direction of the air-sea CO 2 exchange.
However, during the second part of the experiment (d11-d17),
remineralized nutrients boosted phytoplankton growth ( + 299 \%) in the
terrestrial runoff treatment but not its loss rates, leading to
phytoplankton biomass accumulation and suggesting a mismatch between
phytoplankton and its predators. Our study showed that a simulated
terrestrial runoff significantly affected key plankton processes,
suggesting that climate-change-related increases in runoff frequency and
intensity can shift the metabolic balance of Mediterranean coastal
lagoons towards heterotrophy.
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Citation :
Soulié T, Vidussi F, Courboules J, Heydon M, Mas S, Voron F, Cantoni C, Joux F, Mostajir B (2024) Simulated terrestrial runoff shifts the metabolic balance of a coastal Mediterranean plankton community towards heterotrophy. Biogeosciences 21: 1887-1902 | doi: 10.5194/bg-21-1887-2024