Authors: A I Lillebø M R Flindt M A Pardal P G Cardoso S M Ferreira J C Marques
Publish Date: 2007/01/23
Volume: 579, Issue: 1, Pages: 369-378
Abstract
The aim of this work was to evaluate the role of different environmental conditions oxic and anoxic and the presence of macrofauna and/or meiofauna during the different steps of Scirpus maritimus L decomposition/mineralization under controlled laboratory conditions The results showed no significant differences between the anaerobic and the aerobic degradation of plant material under the presence of bacteria or meiofauna Nevertheless under anoxic conditions sediment mineralization was enhanced with an increase concentration of phosphorus and ammonium in the water phase Concerning the presence of fauna results show that although bacterial activity was responsible for 70 of the S maritimus leaves degradation the presence of macrofauna together with meiofauna enhanced the leaves mineralization up to 90 Moreover the presence of macrofauna together with meiofauna significantly affected the decomposition of phosphorus and of nitrogen as well as the leaves lesser labile structural parts by increasing the mineralization of plant carbon and raised the nutrient turnover within the systemThe present study reinforces the functional link between fauna levels on the nutrient dynamics in salt marshes ecosystems namely at the vegetation detritus/water column interfaceThis study was carried out within the scope of the WETproject Wetland Ecology and Technology funded by the European scientific TMR programme TMR ERB 4061 PL 950832 and by the Praxis programme Portugal through a PhD grant BD/9290/96 The authors would like to thank the Freshwater Biological Laboratory University of Copenhagen Denmark for the technical support for this study Special thanks go to Dr P Sousa for help on statistical data analysis
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