The short-term decomposition dynamics of Ulva rigida C. Agardh by a natural bacterial consortium ... more The short-term decomposition dynamics of Ulva rigida C. Agardh by a natural bacterial consortium were studied in the laboratory using a 14 C radio-tracer technique. Following an initial rapid loss of approximately 15% of the particulate organic carbon (POC) by leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), there was an exponential loss of POC and an accompanying increase in the
Laboratory mesocosm incubations were undertaken to investigate the influence of burrowing shrimp ... more Laboratory mesocosm incubations were undertaken to investigate the influence of burrowing shrimp Trypaea australiensis (marine yabby) on sediment reworking, physical and chemical sediment characteristics and nutrients in sandy sediments receiving mangrove (Avicennia marina) leaf litter. Mesocosms of sieved, natural T. australiensis inhabited sands, were continually flushed with fresh seawater and pre-incubated for 17 days prior to triplicates being assigned to one of four treatments; sandy sediment (S), sediment + yabbies (S+Y), sediment + leaf litter (organic matter; S+OM) and sediment + yabbies + leaf litter (S+Y+OM) and maintained for 55 days. Mangrove leaf litter was added daily to treatments S+OM and S+Y+OM. Luminophores were added to mesocosms to quantify sediment reworking. Sediment samples were collected after the pre-incubation period from a set of triplicate mesocosms to establish initial conditions prior to the imposition of the treatments and from the treatment mesocosms...
Ammonium is an important nutrient in primary production; however, high ammonium loads can cause e... more Ammonium is an important nutrient in primary production; however, high ammonium loads can cause eutrophication of natural waterways, contributing to undesirable changes in water quality and ecosystem structure. While ammonium pollution comes from diffuse agricultural sources, making control difficult, industrial or municipal point sources such as wastewater treatment plants also contribute significantly to overall ammonium pollution. These latter sources can be targeted more readily to control ammonium release into water systems. To assist policy makers and researchers in understanding the diversity of treatment options and the best option for their circumstance, this paper produces a comprehensive review of existing treatment options for ammonium removal with a particular focus on those technologies which offer the highest rates of removal and cost-effectiveness. Ion exchange and adsorption material methods are simple to apply, cost-effective, environmentally friendly technologies ...
Antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) are priority environmental contaminants that often co-occur at min... more Antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) are priority environmental contaminants that often co-occur at mining-impacted sites. Despite their chemical similarities, Sb mobility in waterlogged sediments is poorly understood in comparison to As, particularly across the sediment-water interface (SWI) where changes can occur at the millimetre scale. Combined diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) and diffusive equilibration in thin films (DET) techniques provided a high resolution, in situ comparison between Sb, As and iron (Fe) speciation and mobility across the SWI in contaminated freshwater wetland sediment mesocosms under an oxic-anoxic-oxic transition. The shift to anoxic conditions released Fe(II), As(III) and As(V) from the sediment to the water column, consistent with As release being coupled to the reductive dissolution of iron(III) (hydr)oxides. Conversely, Sb(III) and Sb(V) effluxed to the water column under oxic conditions and fluxed into the sediment under anoxic conditions. Porewate...
Understanding the effects of sediment disturbances on nutrient loadings is important for the mana... more Understanding the effects of sediment disturbances on nutrient loadings is important for the management of estuarine settings. This study investigated the initial influence of sediment disturbance on water column nutrient concentrations in a shallow estuarine setting within the Gold Coast Broadwater, using a laboratory-based approach. Undisturbed sediment cores (200 mm Ø × 330 mm length, plexiglass) were incubated before and after being subjected to a disturbance event, to investigate the effect on the immediate and subsequent short-term water column nutrient concentrations. Sediment NH 4 + bio and PO 4 3− bio concentrations ranged from 150 to 478 and 1.50 to 8.56 nmol g −1 dry wt, respectively. Water column NH 4 + concentrations underwent the greatest increase (>1000% or approx. 14 times greater) immediately following disturbance, with mean effluxes increasing by >300%. Thereafter, water column NH 4 + concentrations and efflux rates declined to near initial pre-disturbance concentrations. Water column NH 4 + concentrations accounted for 0.58%-5.50% of the depth-integrated sediment NH 4 + bio concentration, indicating mobilization of the sediment bound exchangeable NH 4 +. The observed changes in PO 4 3− concentrations and fluxes were much lower in comparison to those observed for N-species. Following disturbance, increases in the water column PO 4 3− concentration accounted for 7.16%-8.22% depth-integrated sediment bioavailable PO 4 3− at +1 and +2 hours, and 5.65% at +7 hours, respectively. These results provide important insight into the potential implications of disturbance events, such as vessel activities and dredging operations, within the case study region, providing information for potential management options and relevant water quality concerns.
A modified diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique uses both a mixed binding layer (PrC... more A modified diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique uses both a mixed binding layer (PrCH and A520E resins for NH4-N and NO3-N, respectively) and multiple binding layers (Metsorb binding layer for PO4-P overlying the mixed binding layer) for the simultaneous measurement of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (nitrate and ammonium) and phosphate in freshwater (INP-DGT). High uptake and elution efficiencies were determined for a mixed (PrCH/A520E) binding gel for dissolved inorganic nitrogen and an agarose-based Metsorb binding layer for PO4-P. Diffusion coefficients (D) obtained from DGT time-series experiments (conductivity 180 μS cm-1) for NH4-N, NO3-N and PO4-P agreed well with those measured using individual DGT techniques in previous studies, but were characterised over a wider range of ionic strengths here. D for NO3-N and PO4-P were constant over a range of ionic strengths (between 100 and 800 μS cm-1) while the diffusion coefficient for NH4-N decreased with increasing ionic strength, as reported previously. The measurement of NH4-N, NO3-N and PO4-P using the INP-DGT was independent of pH (3.5-8.5) and quantitative over varying ionic strength ranges (up to 0.004 mol L-1 NaCl for NH4-N, up to 0.014 mol L-1 NaCl for NO3-N and over 0.1 mol L-1 NaCl for PO4-P) for a 24 h deployment time. Performance of INP-DGT in synthetic freshwaters with differing conductivity indicated the three nutrients were affected differently, with NH4-N measurements being most sensitive. Representative performance was determined for NO3-N (90-330 μS cm-1) and PO4-P (all tested conductivities) over a 72 h deployment period and for NH4-N (<330 μS cm-1) over a 24 h deployment period. Field validations showed that the ratios of INP-DGT concentrations to the average concentrations from grab samples were generally between 0.80 and 1.13 over 24 and 48 h deployment periods. To ensure the representative performance of INP-DGT for all three nutrients, the conductivity should not exceed 400 μS cm-1 and deployment times should be no longer than 24 h. The results of this study have demonstrated that INP-DGT could provide a cost-effective monitoring technique for measuring time-weighted average concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients in many freshwaters.
Anthropogenic nutrient inputs enhance microbial respiration within many coastal ecosystems, drivi... more Anthropogenic nutrient inputs enhance microbial respiration within many coastal ecosystems, driving concurrent hypoxia and acidification. During photosynthesis, Symbiodinium spp., the microalgal endosymbionts of cnidarians and other marine phyla, produce O2 and assimilate CO2 , and thus potentially mitigate the exposure of the host to these stresses. However, such a role for Symbiodinium remains untested for non-calcifying cnidarians. We therefore contrasted the fitness of symbiotic and aposymbiotic polyps of a model host jellyfish (Cassiopea sp.) under reduced O2 (~2.09mgL(-1) ) and pH (~pH 7.63) scenarios in a full factorial experiment. Host fitness was characterised as asexual reproduction and their ability to regulate internal pH and Symbiodinium performance characterised by maximum photochemical efficiency, chla content, and cell density. Acidification alone resulted in 58% more asexual reproduction of symbiotic polyps than aposymbiotic polyps (and enhanced Symbiodinium cell de...
Antimony is a priority environmental contaminant that is relatively poorly studied compared to ot... more Antimony is a priority environmental contaminant that is relatively poorly studied compared to other trace metal(loid)s. In particular, the behaviour of antimony in wetland sediments, where anaerobic conditions often dominate, has received considerably less attention compared to well-drained terrestrial soil environments. Here we report the results of a spatial assessment of antimony in the sediments and vegetation of a freshwater wetland exposed to stibnite tailings for the past forty years. The concentration of antimony in the sediment decreased rapidly with distance from the tailings deposit, from a maximum of ∼22,000 mg kg(-1) to ∼1000 mg kg(-1) at a distance of ∼150 m. In contrast, arsenic was distributed more evenly across the wetland, indicating that it was more mobile under the prevailing hypoxic/anoxic conditions. Less clear trends were observed in the tissues of wetland plants, with the concentrations of antimony in waterlilies (2.5-195 mg kg(-1)) showing no clear trends w...
Nutrient concentrations in freshwater are highly variable over time, with changes driven by weath... more Nutrient concentrations in freshwater are highly variable over time, with changes driven by weather events, anthropogenic sources, modifications to catchment hydrology or habitats, and internal biogeochemical processes. Measuring infrequently collected grab samples is unlikely to adequately represent nutrient concentrations in such dynamic systems. In contrast, in situ passive sampling techniques, such as the "diffusive gradients in thin films" (DGT) technique, provide time-weighted average analyte concentrations over the entire deployment time. A pair of recently developed DGT techniques for nitrate (A520E-DGT) and ammonium (PrCH-DGT), as well as the Metsorb-DGT technique for phosphate, were used to monitor inorganic nutrients in different freshwater systems (i.e., streams and wetlands) with a range of environmental values and that were affected by different catchment types. Measurements of grab samples collected frequently (1-2 times daily, 8-10 a.m. and 2-4 p.m.) showed...
Activated sludge was successfully incorporated as the biocatalyst in the fast, ferricyanidemediat... more Activated sludge was successfully incorporated as the biocatalyst in the fast, ferricyanidemediated biochemical oxygen demand (FM-BOD) bioassay. Sludge preparation procedures were optimized for three potential biocatalysts; aeration basin mixed liquor, aerobic digester sludge and return activated sludge. Following a 24 h starving period, the return activated sludge and mixed liquor sludges reported the highest oxidative degradation of a standard glucose/glutamic acid (GGA) mixture and the return activated sludge also recorded the lowest endogenous FM-respiration rate. Dynamic working ranges up to 170 mg BOD 5 L À1 for OECD standard solutions and 300 mg BOD 5 L À1 for GGA were obtained. This is a considerable improvement upon the BOD 5 standard assay and most other rapid BOD techniques. Time-series ferricyanide-mediated oxidation of the OECD 170 standard approached that of the GGA 198 standard after 3e6 h. This is noteworthy given the OECD standard is formulated as a synthetic sewage analogue. A highly significant correlation with the BOD 5 standard method (n ¼ 35, p < 0.001, R ¼ 0.952) was observed for a wide diversity of real wastewater samples. The mean degradation efficiency was indistinguishable from that observed for the BOD 5 assay. These results demonstrate that the activated sludge FM-BOD assay may be used for simple, same-day BOD analysis of wastewaters.
Owing to their ubiquity as compatible solutes, sucrose and trehalose and their constituent monosa... more Owing to their ubiquity as compatible solutes, sucrose and trehalose and their constituent monosaccharides, glucose and fructose, may represent a significant source of carbon for the growth of other bacteria. We investigated sugar utilization by 34 strains of purple sulfur and nonsulfur bacteria isolated from coastal lagoons. Amongst the purple nonsulfur bacteria, sugar utilization was common with almost all strains utilizing the tested monosaccharides and 70 and 50% of strains utilizing sucrose and trehalose, respectively. Sugar utilization was rarer amongst the purple sulfur bacteria, with none of the strains using glucose or trehalose. Fructose, was utilized by 50% of isolates and sucrose was utilized only by strains of Thiorhodococcus. Surprisingly, although unable to use glucose directly, Thiorhodococcus strains used both the glucose and fructose moieties of sucrose and utilized glucose slowly in the presence of fructose, indicating that these strains may be impaired in glucose transport, rather than glucose metabolism per se. Disaccharide metabolism was dependent on sugar uptake and none of the strains produced trehalases or sucrases. Efficacy of sugar utilization varied widely with specific growth yield between 0.09 and 0.78 g dry weight·g sugar-1, and was dependent upon both the sugar and the strain. Similarly, specific growth rates were highly variable with strain and the sugar present and ranged between 5.4 and 0.5 × 10-2·h-1.Overall, data indicate that in natural high salinity ecosystems, purple sulfur and particularly purple nonsulfur bacteria may be able to efficiently exploit compatible solutes released to the environment by other members of the bacterial community.Key words: Chromatiaceae, purple sulfur bacteria, purple nonsulfur bacteria, sugar utilization.
The oxygen and nutrient dynamics of the zooxanthellate, upside down jellyfish (Cassiopea sp.), we... more The oxygen and nutrient dynamics of the zooxanthellate, upside down jellyfish (Cassiopea sp.), were determined both in situ and during laboratory incubations under controlled light conditions. In the laboratory, Cassiopea exhibited a typical Photosynthesis-Irradiance (P-I) curve with photosynthesis increasing linearly with irradiance, until saturation was reached at an irradiance of *400 lE m-2 s-1 , with photosynthetic compensation (photosynthesis = respiration) being achieved at an irradiance of *50 lE m-2 s-1. Under saturating irradiation, gross photosynthesis attained a rate of almost 3.5 mmol O 2 kg WW-1 h-1 , whereas the dark respiration rate averaged 0.6 mmol O 2 kg WW-1 h-1. Based upon a period of saturating irradiance of 9 h, the ratio of daily
A new diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique with a mixed binding layer (Chelex-100 an... more A new diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique with a mixed binding layer (Chelex-100 and the titanium dioxide based adsorbent Metsorb) is described for the simultaneous measurement of labile trace metal (Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Cd, and Pb) and oxyanion (V, As, Mo, Sb, W, and P) concentrations in freshwater and seawater. The mixed binding layer (MBL) DGT technique was evaluated against the Chelex-DGT and Metsorb-DGT techniques, and all elution efficiencies and diffusion coefficients have been remeasured for the above analytes. Diffusion coefficients (D) measured using MBL-DGT generally agreed well with those measured by Chelex-DGT (DMBL/DChelex = 0.97-1.05), Metsorb-DGT (DMBL/DMetsorb = 0.97-1.01), and diffusion cell experiments. The measurement of trace metals and oxyanions by MBL-DGT was independent of pH (5.03-8.05) and ionic strength (I = 0.001-0.7 mol L(-1)). MBL-DGT accurately measured the concentration of trace metals and oxyanions in synthetic freshwater (CMBL/CSol = 0.82-1.18) over the 4 day deployment and also agreed well with Metsorb-DGT (CMBL/CMetsorb = 0.84-0.94) and Chelex-DGT (CMBL/CChelex = 0.88-1.11) measurements. In synthetic seawater, MBL-DGT accurately measured the concentration of metals and oxyanions (CMBL/CSol = 0.85-1.12) over 4 days, with the exception of Mo-none of the DGT techniques were capable of measuring Mo in seawater. MBL-DGT measured the Mn concentration accurately over the entire 4 day period, whereas Chelex-DGT only measured Mn accurately up to 2 days. The MBL-DGT method described in this study offers significant advantages over the ferrihydrite-Chelex-DGT method reported previously. These advantages include the commercial availability of both Metsorb and Chelex-100, the higher accuracy of Metsorb for measuring some oxyanions in freshwater and seawater, and the possibility of measuring Fe, which would not be possible using the Chelex-ferrihydrite binding layer.
Jellyfish often form blooms that persist for weeks to months before they collapse en masse, resul... more Jellyfish often form blooms that persist for weeks to months before they collapse en masse, resulting in the sudden release of large amounts of organic matter to the environment. This study investigated the biogeochemical and ecological effects of the decomposition of jellyfish in a shallow coastal lagoon in New South Wales, Australia. Catostylus mosaicus carrion was added to the surface of shallow sub-tidal sediments and biogeochemical parameters and macrofaunal abundance immediately below the jellyfish carrion were measured over three days. Sediment plots without jellyfish served as controls. Sediment oxygen demand and carbon and nitrogen efflux increased by up to 60-fold in the jellyfish plots, compared to control plots, and dissolved organic nutrient fluxes were more sustained than in previous studies due to the use of fresh rather than frozen biomass. The decomposing jellyfish progressively altered sediment redox conditions, indicated by an increase in porewater iron (II) and s...
ABSTRACT High resolution, two dimensional distributions of porewater iron(II) and sulfide were me... more ABSTRACT High resolution, two dimensional distributions of porewater iron(II) and sulfide were measured, using colourimetric DET (diffusive equilibration in a thin film) and DGT (diffusive gradients in a thin film) techniques, respectively, in Zostera capricorni colonised sediments under both light and dark conditions. Low resolution depth profiles of ammonium and phosphate were measured using conventional DET and DGT methods, respectively. Porewater iron(II) and sulfide distributions showed a high degree of spatial heterogeneity under both light and dark conditions, and distributions were characterised by a complex mosaic of sediment zones dominated by either iron(II) or sulfide. However, there was a clear shift in overall redox conditions between light and dark conditions. During light deployments, iron(II) and sulfide concentrations were generally low throughout the rhizosphere, apart from a few distinct “hotspots” of high concentration. Whereas during dark deployments, high concentrations of iron(II) were sometimes measured in the near surface sediments and sulfide depth distributions migrated towards the sediment surface. Profiles of porewater ammonium and phosphate demonstrated an increase in ammonium concentrations under dark compared to light conditions. Surprisingly, despite the large changes in iron(II) distributions between light and dark conditions, phosphate profiles remained similar, indicating that adsorption/release of phosphate by iron(III) hydr(oxide) mineral formation and reduction was not a major factor regulating porewater phosphate concentrations in these sediments or that phosphate uptake by the seagrass roots persisted during the dark period. Overall, the results demonstrate that the photosynthetic activity of the seagrass played a significant role in regulating sulfide, iron(II) and ammonium concentrations in the rhizosphere, due to rates of radial oxygen loss and ammonium uptake by the roots and rhizomes being lower under dark compared to light conditions. This cyclic production and reduction of iron(III) hydr(oxides) in the rhizosphere may act as a buffering system preventing sulfide accumulation.
The Sacca di Goro is a hypertrophic lagoon of the Po river Delta, which is heavily exploited for ... more The Sacca di Goro is a hypertrophic lagoon of the Po river Delta, which is heavily exploited for rearing ofthe Manila clam, Tapes philippinarum. Harvesting of the clams could add to the general disturbance regime in the lagoon through damage to the benthic community, the release of porewater nutrients which could fuel macroalgal growth and of reduced compounds from the
A new diffusive gradients in a thin film (DGT) technique, using Microlite PrCH cation exchange re... more A new diffusive gradients in a thin film (DGT) technique, using Microlite PrCH cation exchange resin, was developed and evaluated for measuring NH4-N in freshwaters. Microlite PrCH had high uptake (>92.5%) and elution efficiencies (87.2% using 2 mol L(-1) NaCl). Mass vs. time validation experiments over 24 h demonstrated excellent linearity (R(2) ≥ 0.996). PrCH-DGT binding layers had an extremely high intrinsic binding capacity for NH4-N (∼3000 μg). NH4-N uptake was quantitative over pH ranges 3.5-8.5 and ionic strength (up to 0.012 mol L(-1) as NaCl) typical of freshwater systems. Several cations (Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+) and Mg(2+)) were found to compete with NH4-N for uptake by PrCH-DGT, but NH4-N uptake was quantitative over concentration ranges typical of freshwater (up to 0.012 mol L(-1) Na(+), 0.006 mol L(-1) K(+), 0.003 mol L(-1) Ca(2+) and 0.004 mol L(-1) Mg(2+)). Effective diffusion coefficients determined from mass vs. time experiments changed non-linearly with electrical c...
A systematic comparison of the diffusion coefficients of cations (Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn)... more A systematic comparison of the diffusion coefficients of cations (Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) and oxyanions (Al, As, Mo, Sb, V, W) in open (ODL) and restricted (RDL) diffusive layers used by the DGT technique was undertaken. Diffusion coefficients were measured using both the diffusion cell (Dcell) method at pH 4.00 and the DGT time-series (DDGT) method at pH 4.01 and 7.04 (pH 8.30 was used instead of 7.04 for Al) using the Chelex-Metsorb mixed binding layer. The performance of Chelex-Metsorb as a new DGT binding layer for Al uptake was also evaluated for the first time. Reasonable agreement was observed between Dcell and DDGT measurements for both ODL and RDL, except for V and W. The ratios of Dcell/DDGT for V of 0.44 and 0.39, and for W of 0.66 and 0.63 with ODL and RDL respectively, were much lower due to the formation of a high proportion of polyoxometalate species at the higher concentrations required with the Dcell measurements. This is the first time that D values have be...
The short-term decomposition dynamics of Ulva rigida C. Agardh by a natural bacterial consortium ... more The short-term decomposition dynamics of Ulva rigida C. Agardh by a natural bacterial consortium were studied in the laboratory using a 14 C radio-tracer technique. Following an initial rapid loss of approximately 15% of the particulate organic carbon (POC) by leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), there was an exponential loss of POC and an accompanying increase in the
Laboratory mesocosm incubations were undertaken to investigate the influence of burrowing shrimp ... more Laboratory mesocosm incubations were undertaken to investigate the influence of burrowing shrimp Trypaea australiensis (marine yabby) on sediment reworking, physical and chemical sediment characteristics and nutrients in sandy sediments receiving mangrove (Avicennia marina) leaf litter. Mesocosms of sieved, natural T. australiensis inhabited sands, were continually flushed with fresh seawater and pre-incubated for 17 days prior to triplicates being assigned to one of four treatments; sandy sediment (S), sediment + yabbies (S+Y), sediment + leaf litter (organic matter; S+OM) and sediment + yabbies + leaf litter (S+Y+OM) and maintained for 55 days. Mangrove leaf litter was added daily to treatments S+OM and S+Y+OM. Luminophores were added to mesocosms to quantify sediment reworking. Sediment samples were collected after the pre-incubation period from a set of triplicate mesocosms to establish initial conditions prior to the imposition of the treatments and from the treatment mesocosms...
Ammonium is an important nutrient in primary production; however, high ammonium loads can cause e... more Ammonium is an important nutrient in primary production; however, high ammonium loads can cause eutrophication of natural waterways, contributing to undesirable changes in water quality and ecosystem structure. While ammonium pollution comes from diffuse agricultural sources, making control difficult, industrial or municipal point sources such as wastewater treatment plants also contribute significantly to overall ammonium pollution. These latter sources can be targeted more readily to control ammonium release into water systems. To assist policy makers and researchers in understanding the diversity of treatment options and the best option for their circumstance, this paper produces a comprehensive review of existing treatment options for ammonium removal with a particular focus on those technologies which offer the highest rates of removal and cost-effectiveness. Ion exchange and adsorption material methods are simple to apply, cost-effective, environmentally friendly technologies ...
Antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) are priority environmental contaminants that often co-occur at min... more Antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) are priority environmental contaminants that often co-occur at mining-impacted sites. Despite their chemical similarities, Sb mobility in waterlogged sediments is poorly understood in comparison to As, particularly across the sediment-water interface (SWI) where changes can occur at the millimetre scale. Combined diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) and diffusive equilibration in thin films (DET) techniques provided a high resolution, in situ comparison between Sb, As and iron (Fe) speciation and mobility across the SWI in contaminated freshwater wetland sediment mesocosms under an oxic-anoxic-oxic transition. The shift to anoxic conditions released Fe(II), As(III) and As(V) from the sediment to the water column, consistent with As release being coupled to the reductive dissolution of iron(III) (hydr)oxides. Conversely, Sb(III) and Sb(V) effluxed to the water column under oxic conditions and fluxed into the sediment under anoxic conditions. Porewate...
Understanding the effects of sediment disturbances on nutrient loadings is important for the mana... more Understanding the effects of sediment disturbances on nutrient loadings is important for the management of estuarine settings. This study investigated the initial influence of sediment disturbance on water column nutrient concentrations in a shallow estuarine setting within the Gold Coast Broadwater, using a laboratory-based approach. Undisturbed sediment cores (200 mm Ø × 330 mm length, plexiglass) were incubated before and after being subjected to a disturbance event, to investigate the effect on the immediate and subsequent short-term water column nutrient concentrations. Sediment NH 4 + bio and PO 4 3− bio concentrations ranged from 150 to 478 and 1.50 to 8.56 nmol g −1 dry wt, respectively. Water column NH 4 + concentrations underwent the greatest increase (>1000% or approx. 14 times greater) immediately following disturbance, with mean effluxes increasing by >300%. Thereafter, water column NH 4 + concentrations and efflux rates declined to near initial pre-disturbance concentrations. Water column NH 4 + concentrations accounted for 0.58%-5.50% of the depth-integrated sediment NH 4 + bio concentration, indicating mobilization of the sediment bound exchangeable NH 4 +. The observed changes in PO 4 3− concentrations and fluxes were much lower in comparison to those observed for N-species. Following disturbance, increases in the water column PO 4 3− concentration accounted for 7.16%-8.22% depth-integrated sediment bioavailable PO 4 3− at +1 and +2 hours, and 5.65% at +7 hours, respectively. These results provide important insight into the potential implications of disturbance events, such as vessel activities and dredging operations, within the case study region, providing information for potential management options and relevant water quality concerns.
A modified diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique uses both a mixed binding layer (PrC... more A modified diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique uses both a mixed binding layer (PrCH and A520E resins for NH4-N and NO3-N, respectively) and multiple binding layers (Metsorb binding layer for PO4-P overlying the mixed binding layer) for the simultaneous measurement of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (nitrate and ammonium) and phosphate in freshwater (INP-DGT). High uptake and elution efficiencies were determined for a mixed (PrCH/A520E) binding gel for dissolved inorganic nitrogen and an agarose-based Metsorb binding layer for PO4-P. Diffusion coefficients (D) obtained from DGT time-series experiments (conductivity 180 μS cm-1) for NH4-N, NO3-N and PO4-P agreed well with those measured using individual DGT techniques in previous studies, but were characterised over a wider range of ionic strengths here. D for NO3-N and PO4-P were constant over a range of ionic strengths (between 100 and 800 μS cm-1) while the diffusion coefficient for NH4-N decreased with increasing ionic strength, as reported previously. The measurement of NH4-N, NO3-N and PO4-P using the INP-DGT was independent of pH (3.5-8.5) and quantitative over varying ionic strength ranges (up to 0.004 mol L-1 NaCl for NH4-N, up to 0.014 mol L-1 NaCl for NO3-N and over 0.1 mol L-1 NaCl for PO4-P) for a 24 h deployment time. Performance of INP-DGT in synthetic freshwaters with differing conductivity indicated the three nutrients were affected differently, with NH4-N measurements being most sensitive. Representative performance was determined for NO3-N (90-330 μS cm-1) and PO4-P (all tested conductivities) over a 72 h deployment period and for NH4-N (&amp;amp;lt;330 μS cm-1) over a 24 h deployment period. Field validations showed that the ratios of INP-DGT concentrations to the average concentrations from grab samples were generally between 0.80 and 1.13 over 24 and 48 h deployment periods. To ensure the representative performance of INP-DGT for all three nutrients, the conductivity should not exceed 400 μS cm-1 and deployment times should be no longer than 24 h. The results of this study have demonstrated that INP-DGT could provide a cost-effective monitoring technique for measuring time-weighted average concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients in many freshwaters.
Anthropogenic nutrient inputs enhance microbial respiration within many coastal ecosystems, drivi... more Anthropogenic nutrient inputs enhance microbial respiration within many coastal ecosystems, driving concurrent hypoxia and acidification. During photosynthesis, Symbiodinium spp., the microalgal endosymbionts of cnidarians and other marine phyla, produce O2 and assimilate CO2 , and thus potentially mitigate the exposure of the host to these stresses. However, such a role for Symbiodinium remains untested for non-calcifying cnidarians. We therefore contrasted the fitness of symbiotic and aposymbiotic polyps of a model host jellyfish (Cassiopea sp.) under reduced O2 (~2.09mgL(-1) ) and pH (~pH 7.63) scenarios in a full factorial experiment. Host fitness was characterised as asexual reproduction and their ability to regulate internal pH and Symbiodinium performance characterised by maximum photochemical efficiency, chla content, and cell density. Acidification alone resulted in 58% more asexual reproduction of symbiotic polyps than aposymbiotic polyps (and enhanced Symbiodinium cell de...
Antimony is a priority environmental contaminant that is relatively poorly studied compared to ot... more Antimony is a priority environmental contaminant that is relatively poorly studied compared to other trace metal(loid)s. In particular, the behaviour of antimony in wetland sediments, where anaerobic conditions often dominate, has received considerably less attention compared to well-drained terrestrial soil environments. Here we report the results of a spatial assessment of antimony in the sediments and vegetation of a freshwater wetland exposed to stibnite tailings for the past forty years. The concentration of antimony in the sediment decreased rapidly with distance from the tailings deposit, from a maximum of ∼22,000 mg kg(-1) to ∼1000 mg kg(-1) at a distance of ∼150 m. In contrast, arsenic was distributed more evenly across the wetland, indicating that it was more mobile under the prevailing hypoxic/anoxic conditions. Less clear trends were observed in the tissues of wetland plants, with the concentrations of antimony in waterlilies (2.5-195 mg kg(-1)) showing no clear trends w...
Nutrient concentrations in freshwater are highly variable over time, with changes driven by weath... more Nutrient concentrations in freshwater are highly variable over time, with changes driven by weather events, anthropogenic sources, modifications to catchment hydrology or habitats, and internal biogeochemical processes. Measuring infrequently collected grab samples is unlikely to adequately represent nutrient concentrations in such dynamic systems. In contrast, in situ passive sampling techniques, such as the "diffusive gradients in thin films" (DGT) technique, provide time-weighted average analyte concentrations over the entire deployment time. A pair of recently developed DGT techniques for nitrate (A520E-DGT) and ammonium (PrCH-DGT), as well as the Metsorb-DGT technique for phosphate, were used to monitor inorganic nutrients in different freshwater systems (i.e., streams and wetlands) with a range of environmental values and that were affected by different catchment types. Measurements of grab samples collected frequently (1-2 times daily, 8-10 a.m. and 2-4 p.m.) showed...
Activated sludge was successfully incorporated as the biocatalyst in the fast, ferricyanidemediat... more Activated sludge was successfully incorporated as the biocatalyst in the fast, ferricyanidemediated biochemical oxygen demand (FM-BOD) bioassay. Sludge preparation procedures were optimized for three potential biocatalysts; aeration basin mixed liquor, aerobic digester sludge and return activated sludge. Following a 24 h starving period, the return activated sludge and mixed liquor sludges reported the highest oxidative degradation of a standard glucose/glutamic acid (GGA) mixture and the return activated sludge also recorded the lowest endogenous FM-respiration rate. Dynamic working ranges up to 170 mg BOD 5 L À1 for OECD standard solutions and 300 mg BOD 5 L À1 for GGA were obtained. This is a considerable improvement upon the BOD 5 standard assay and most other rapid BOD techniques. Time-series ferricyanide-mediated oxidation of the OECD 170 standard approached that of the GGA 198 standard after 3e6 h. This is noteworthy given the OECD standard is formulated as a synthetic sewage analogue. A highly significant correlation with the BOD 5 standard method (n ¼ 35, p < 0.001, R ¼ 0.952) was observed for a wide diversity of real wastewater samples. The mean degradation efficiency was indistinguishable from that observed for the BOD 5 assay. These results demonstrate that the activated sludge FM-BOD assay may be used for simple, same-day BOD analysis of wastewaters.
Owing to their ubiquity as compatible solutes, sucrose and trehalose and their constituent monosa... more Owing to their ubiquity as compatible solutes, sucrose and trehalose and their constituent monosaccharides, glucose and fructose, may represent a significant source of carbon for the growth of other bacteria. We investigated sugar utilization by 34 strains of purple sulfur and nonsulfur bacteria isolated from coastal lagoons. Amongst the purple nonsulfur bacteria, sugar utilization was common with almost all strains utilizing the tested monosaccharides and 70 and 50% of strains utilizing sucrose and trehalose, respectively. Sugar utilization was rarer amongst the purple sulfur bacteria, with none of the strains using glucose or trehalose. Fructose, was utilized by 50% of isolates and sucrose was utilized only by strains of Thiorhodococcus. Surprisingly, although unable to use glucose directly, Thiorhodococcus strains used both the glucose and fructose moieties of sucrose and utilized glucose slowly in the presence of fructose, indicating that these strains may be impaired in glucose transport, rather than glucose metabolism per se. Disaccharide metabolism was dependent on sugar uptake and none of the strains produced trehalases or sucrases. Efficacy of sugar utilization varied widely with specific growth yield between 0.09 and 0.78 g dry weight·g sugar-1, and was dependent upon both the sugar and the strain. Similarly, specific growth rates were highly variable with strain and the sugar present and ranged between 5.4 and 0.5 × 10-2·h-1.Overall, data indicate that in natural high salinity ecosystems, purple sulfur and particularly purple nonsulfur bacteria may be able to efficiently exploit compatible solutes released to the environment by other members of the bacterial community.Key words: Chromatiaceae, purple sulfur bacteria, purple nonsulfur bacteria, sugar utilization.
The oxygen and nutrient dynamics of the zooxanthellate, upside down jellyfish (Cassiopea sp.), we... more The oxygen and nutrient dynamics of the zooxanthellate, upside down jellyfish (Cassiopea sp.), were determined both in situ and during laboratory incubations under controlled light conditions. In the laboratory, Cassiopea exhibited a typical Photosynthesis-Irradiance (P-I) curve with photosynthesis increasing linearly with irradiance, until saturation was reached at an irradiance of *400 lE m-2 s-1 , with photosynthetic compensation (photosynthesis = respiration) being achieved at an irradiance of *50 lE m-2 s-1. Under saturating irradiation, gross photosynthesis attained a rate of almost 3.5 mmol O 2 kg WW-1 h-1 , whereas the dark respiration rate averaged 0.6 mmol O 2 kg WW-1 h-1. Based upon a period of saturating irradiance of 9 h, the ratio of daily
A new diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique with a mixed binding layer (Chelex-100 an... more A new diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique with a mixed binding layer (Chelex-100 and the titanium dioxide based adsorbent Metsorb) is described for the simultaneous measurement of labile trace metal (Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Cd, and Pb) and oxyanion (V, As, Mo, Sb, W, and P) concentrations in freshwater and seawater. The mixed binding layer (MBL) DGT technique was evaluated against the Chelex-DGT and Metsorb-DGT techniques, and all elution efficiencies and diffusion coefficients have been remeasured for the above analytes. Diffusion coefficients (D) measured using MBL-DGT generally agreed well with those measured by Chelex-DGT (DMBL/DChelex = 0.97-1.05), Metsorb-DGT (DMBL/DMetsorb = 0.97-1.01), and diffusion cell experiments. The measurement of trace metals and oxyanions by MBL-DGT was independent of pH (5.03-8.05) and ionic strength (I = 0.001-0.7 mol L(-1)). MBL-DGT accurately measured the concentration of trace metals and oxyanions in synthetic freshwater (CMBL/CSol = 0.82-1.18) over the 4 day deployment and also agreed well with Metsorb-DGT (CMBL/CMetsorb = 0.84-0.94) and Chelex-DGT (CMBL/CChelex = 0.88-1.11) measurements. In synthetic seawater, MBL-DGT accurately measured the concentration of metals and oxyanions (CMBL/CSol = 0.85-1.12) over 4 days, with the exception of Mo-none of the DGT techniques were capable of measuring Mo in seawater. MBL-DGT measured the Mn concentration accurately over the entire 4 day period, whereas Chelex-DGT only measured Mn accurately up to 2 days. The MBL-DGT method described in this study offers significant advantages over the ferrihydrite-Chelex-DGT method reported previously. These advantages include the commercial availability of both Metsorb and Chelex-100, the higher accuracy of Metsorb for measuring some oxyanions in freshwater and seawater, and the possibility of measuring Fe, which would not be possible using the Chelex-ferrihydrite binding layer.
Jellyfish often form blooms that persist for weeks to months before they collapse en masse, resul... more Jellyfish often form blooms that persist for weeks to months before they collapse en masse, resulting in the sudden release of large amounts of organic matter to the environment. This study investigated the biogeochemical and ecological effects of the decomposition of jellyfish in a shallow coastal lagoon in New South Wales, Australia. Catostylus mosaicus carrion was added to the surface of shallow sub-tidal sediments and biogeochemical parameters and macrofaunal abundance immediately below the jellyfish carrion were measured over three days. Sediment plots without jellyfish served as controls. Sediment oxygen demand and carbon and nitrogen efflux increased by up to 60-fold in the jellyfish plots, compared to control plots, and dissolved organic nutrient fluxes were more sustained than in previous studies due to the use of fresh rather than frozen biomass. The decomposing jellyfish progressively altered sediment redox conditions, indicated by an increase in porewater iron (II) and s...
ABSTRACT High resolution, two dimensional distributions of porewater iron(II) and sulfide were me... more ABSTRACT High resolution, two dimensional distributions of porewater iron(II) and sulfide were measured, using colourimetric DET (diffusive equilibration in a thin film) and DGT (diffusive gradients in a thin film) techniques, respectively, in Zostera capricorni colonised sediments under both light and dark conditions. Low resolution depth profiles of ammonium and phosphate were measured using conventional DET and DGT methods, respectively. Porewater iron(II) and sulfide distributions showed a high degree of spatial heterogeneity under both light and dark conditions, and distributions were characterised by a complex mosaic of sediment zones dominated by either iron(II) or sulfide. However, there was a clear shift in overall redox conditions between light and dark conditions. During light deployments, iron(II) and sulfide concentrations were generally low throughout the rhizosphere, apart from a few distinct “hotspots” of high concentration. Whereas during dark deployments, high concentrations of iron(II) were sometimes measured in the near surface sediments and sulfide depth distributions migrated towards the sediment surface. Profiles of porewater ammonium and phosphate demonstrated an increase in ammonium concentrations under dark compared to light conditions. Surprisingly, despite the large changes in iron(II) distributions between light and dark conditions, phosphate profiles remained similar, indicating that adsorption/release of phosphate by iron(III) hydr(oxide) mineral formation and reduction was not a major factor regulating porewater phosphate concentrations in these sediments or that phosphate uptake by the seagrass roots persisted during the dark period. Overall, the results demonstrate that the photosynthetic activity of the seagrass played a significant role in regulating sulfide, iron(II) and ammonium concentrations in the rhizosphere, due to rates of radial oxygen loss and ammonium uptake by the roots and rhizomes being lower under dark compared to light conditions. This cyclic production and reduction of iron(III) hydr(oxides) in the rhizosphere may act as a buffering system preventing sulfide accumulation.
The Sacca di Goro is a hypertrophic lagoon of the Po river Delta, which is heavily exploited for ... more The Sacca di Goro is a hypertrophic lagoon of the Po river Delta, which is heavily exploited for rearing ofthe Manila clam, Tapes philippinarum. Harvesting of the clams could add to the general disturbance regime in the lagoon through damage to the benthic community, the release of porewater nutrients which could fuel macroalgal growth and of reduced compounds from the
A new diffusive gradients in a thin film (DGT) technique, using Microlite PrCH cation exchange re... more A new diffusive gradients in a thin film (DGT) technique, using Microlite PrCH cation exchange resin, was developed and evaluated for measuring NH4-N in freshwaters. Microlite PrCH had high uptake (>92.5%) and elution efficiencies (87.2% using 2 mol L(-1) NaCl). Mass vs. time validation experiments over 24 h demonstrated excellent linearity (R(2) ≥ 0.996). PrCH-DGT binding layers had an extremely high intrinsic binding capacity for NH4-N (∼3000 μg). NH4-N uptake was quantitative over pH ranges 3.5-8.5 and ionic strength (up to 0.012 mol L(-1) as NaCl) typical of freshwater systems. Several cations (Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+) and Mg(2+)) were found to compete with NH4-N for uptake by PrCH-DGT, but NH4-N uptake was quantitative over concentration ranges typical of freshwater (up to 0.012 mol L(-1) Na(+), 0.006 mol L(-1) K(+), 0.003 mol L(-1) Ca(2+) and 0.004 mol L(-1) Mg(2+)). Effective diffusion coefficients determined from mass vs. time experiments changed non-linearly with electrical c...
A systematic comparison of the diffusion coefficients of cations (Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn)... more A systematic comparison of the diffusion coefficients of cations (Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) and oxyanions (Al, As, Mo, Sb, V, W) in open (ODL) and restricted (RDL) diffusive layers used by the DGT technique was undertaken. Diffusion coefficients were measured using both the diffusion cell (Dcell) method at pH 4.00 and the DGT time-series (DDGT) method at pH 4.01 and 7.04 (pH 8.30 was used instead of 7.04 for Al) using the Chelex-Metsorb mixed binding layer. The performance of Chelex-Metsorb as a new DGT binding layer for Al uptake was also evaluated for the first time. Reasonable agreement was observed between Dcell and DDGT measurements for both ODL and RDL, except for V and W. The ratios of Dcell/DDGT for V of 0.44 and 0.39, and for W of 0.66 and 0.63 with ODL and RDL respectively, were much lower due to the formation of a high proportion of polyoxometalate species at the higher concentrations required with the Dcell measurements. This is the first time that D values have be...
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