Shifting stoichiometry: Long-term trends in stream-dissolved organic matter reveal altered C:N ratios due to history of atmospheric acid deposition

Bianca Rodriguez-Cardona; Adam Wymore; Alba Argerich; Rebecca Barnes; Susana Bernal; Jack Brookshire; Ashley Coble; Walter Dodds; Hannah Fazekas; Ashley Helton; Penny J Johnes; Sherri Johnson; Jeremy Jones; Sujay  Kaushal; Pirkko Kortelainen; Carla Lopez-Lloreda; Robert Spencer; William McDowell

doi:10.1111/gcb.15965

Shifting stoichiometry: Long-term trends in stream-dissolved organic matter reveal altered C:N ratios due to history of atmospheric acid deposition

Bianca Rodriguez-Cardona^*, Adam Wymore, Alba Argerich, Rebecca Barnes, Susana Bernal, Jack Brookshire, Ashley Coble, Walter Dodds, Hannah Fazekas, Ashley Helton, Penny J Johnes , Sherri Johnson, Jeremy Jones, Sujay Kaushal, Pirkko Kortelainen, Carla Lopez-Lloreda, Robert Spencer, William McDowell

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) are important energy and nutrient sources for aquatic ecosystems. In many northern temperate freshwater systems DOC has increased in the past 50 years. Less is known about how changes in DOC may vary across latitudes, and whether changes in DON track those of DOC. Here we present long-term DOC and DON data from 74 streams distributed across seven sites in biomes ranging from the tropics to northern boreal forests with varying histories of atmospheric acid deposition. For each stream, we examined temporal trends of DOC and DON concentrations and DOC:DON molar ratios. While some sites displayed consistent positive or negative trends in stream DOC and DON concentrations, changes in direction or magnitude were inconsistent at regional or local scales. DON trends did not always track those of DOC, though DOC:DON ratios increased over time for ~30% of streams. Our results indicate that the dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool is experiencing fundamental changes due to recovery from atmospheric acid deposition. Changes in DOC:DON stoichiometry point to a shifting energy-nutrient balance in many aquatic ecosystems. Sustained changes in the character of DOM can have major implications for stream metabolism, biogeochemical processes, food webs, and drinking water quality (including disinfection by-products). Understanding regional and global variation in DOC and DON concentrations is important for developing realistic models and watershed management protocols to effectively target mitigation efforts aimed at bringing DOM flux and nutrient enrichment under control.

Original language	English
Article number	GCB15965
Pages (from-to)	98-114
Number of pages	17
Journal	Global Change Biology
Volume	28
Issue number	1
Early online date	27 Oct 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15965
Publication status	Published - 6 Nov 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was conducted as a part of the Stream Elemental Cycling Synthesis Group funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant DEB#1545288, through the Long-Term Ecological Research Network Office (LNO), National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), University of California-Santa Barbara. We acknowledge the efforts of Julien Brun for assistance with data synthesis and the efforts of multiple individuals who collected and analyzed samples. Thank you to Gene Likens, John Campbell, and Emily Bernhardt for facilitating use of data from Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest and to Antti R?ike for picking up the Finnish data. Partial support for BRC and ASW was provided by NSF grants DEB#1556603 (Deciphering Dissolved Organic Nitrogen) and EPS#1929148 (Canary in the Watershed). Partial support for PJJ was provided by Natural Environment Research Council, UK large grant NE/K010689/1 (DOMAINE: Characterising the Nature, Origins and Ecological?353 Significance of DOM in Freshwater Ecosystems). Partial support for SB was provided by AEI/FEDER UE via RTI2018-094521-B-100 and RYC-2017-22643 projects. Support for AA was provided by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture McIntire-Stennis Project 1016163. Partial funding was provided by the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station. This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture McIntire-Stennis Project 1019522 (WHM) and Hatch Multi-State Project 1022291 (ASW). This is Scientific Contribution 2890. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions that have helped improve this manuscript.

Funding Information:
This work was conducted as a part of the Stream Elemental Cycling Synthesis Group funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant DEB#1545288, through the Long‐Term Ecological Research Network Office (LNO), National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), University of California‐Santa Barbara. We acknowledge the efforts of Julien Brun for assistance with data synthesis and the efforts of multiple individuals who collected and analyzed samples. Thank you to Gene Likens, John Campbell, and Emily Bernhardt for facilitating use of data from Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest and to Antti Räike for picking up the Finnish data. Partial support for BRC and ASW was provided by NSF grants DEB#1556603 (Deciphering Dissolved Organic Nitrogen) and EPS#1929148 (Canary in the Watershed). Partial support for PJJ was provided by Natural Environment Research Council, UK large grant NE/K010689/1 (DOMAINE: Characterising the Nature, Origins and Ecological 353 Significance of DOM in Freshwater Ecosystems). Partial support for SB was provided by AEI/FEDER UE via RTI2018‐094521‐B‐100 and RYC‐2017‐22643 projects. Support for AA was provided by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture McIntire‐Stennis Project 1016163. Partial funding was provided by the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station. This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture McIntire‐Stennis Project 1019522 (WHM) and Hatch Multi‐State Project 1022291 (ASW). This is Scientific Contribution 2890. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions that have helped improve this manuscript.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Keywords

atmospheric acid deposition
C:N stoichiometry
dissolved organic carbon
dissolved organic matter
dissolved organic nitrogen
long-term trends
streams

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1111/gcb.15965

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DOMAINE: Characterisation of the nature, origins and ecological significance of dissolved organic matter in freshwater ecosystems
Johnes, P. J. (Principal Investigator), Evershed, R. P. (Co-Principal Investigator), Jones, D. (Co-Principal Investigator), Maberly, S. (Co-Principal Investigator), Jickells, T. (Co-Principal Investigator), Yates, C. A. (Researcher), Lloyd, C. E. M. (Researcher), Glanville, H. (Researcher), Mackay, E. (Researcher), Harrison, R. V. (Other ), Bayliss, C. E. (Student), Pemberton, J. (Student), Reay, M. (Student), Brailsford, F. (Technician), McIntyre, C. A. (Student), Owen, A. T. (Technician), Hopes, M. (Student), Evans, C. (Collaborator), Fenner, N. (Collaborator), Golyshin, P. (Collaborator), Ferrer, M. (Collaborator), Marshall, M. (Researcher) & Cooper, D. (Researcher)
1/04/14 → 31/12/19
Project: Research

Cite this

Rodriguez-Cardona, B., Wymore, A., Argerich, A., Barnes, R., Bernal, S., Brookshire, J., Coble, A., Dodds, W., Fazekas, H., Helton, A., Johnes , P. J., Johnson, S., Jones, J., Kaushal, S., Kortelainen, P., Lopez-Lloreda, C., Spencer, R., & McDowell, W. (2021). Shifting stoichiometry: Long-term trends in stream-dissolved organic matter reveal altered C:N ratios due to history of atmospheric acid deposition. Global Change Biology, 28(1), 98-114. Article GCB15965. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15965

@article{7ca950bfd3884876bdf0774b2cfffade,

title = "Shifting stoichiometry: Long-term trends in stream-dissolved organic matter reveal altered C:N ratios due to history of atmospheric acid deposition",

abstract = "Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) are important energy and nutrient sources for aquatic ecosystems. In many northern temperate freshwater systems DOC has increased in the past 50 years. Less is known about how changes in DOC may vary across latitudes, and whether changes in DON track those of DOC. Here we present long-term DOC and DON data from 74 streams distributed across seven sites in biomes ranging from the tropics to northern boreal forests with varying histories of atmospheric acid deposition. For each stream, we examined temporal trends of DOC and DON concentrations and DOC:DON molar ratios. While some sites displayed consistent positive or negative trends in stream DOC and DON concentrations, changes in direction or magnitude were inconsistent at regional or local scales. DON trends did not always track those of DOC, though DOC:DON ratios increased over time for ~30% of streams. Our results indicate that the dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool is experiencing fundamental changes due to recovery from atmospheric acid deposition. Changes in DOC:DON stoichiometry point to a shifting energy-nutrient balance in many aquatic ecosystems. Sustained changes in the character of DOM can have major implications for stream metabolism, biogeochemical processes, food webs, and drinking water quality (including disinfection by-products). Understanding regional and global variation in DOC and DON concentrations is important for developing realistic models and watershed management protocols to effectively target mitigation efforts aimed at bringing DOM flux and nutrient enrichment under control.",

keywords = "atmospheric acid deposition, C:N stoichiometry, dissolved organic carbon, dissolved organic matter, dissolved organic nitrogen, long-term trends, streams",

author = "Bianca Rodriguez-Cardona and Adam Wymore and Alba Argerich and Rebecca Barnes and Susana Bernal and Jack Brookshire and Ashley Coble and Walter Dodds and Hannah Fazekas and Ashley Helton and Johnes, {Penny J} and Sherri Johnson and Jeremy Jones and Sujay Kaushal and Pirkko Kortelainen and Carla Lopez-Lloreda and Robert Spencer and William McDowell",

note = "Funding Information: This work was conducted as a part of the Stream Elemental Cycling Synthesis Group funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant DEB#1545288, through the Long-Term Ecological Research Network Office (LNO), National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), University of California-Santa Barbara. We acknowledge the efforts of Julien Brun for assistance with data synthesis and the efforts of multiple individuals who collected and analyzed samples. Thank you to Gene Likens, John Campbell, and Emily Bernhardt for facilitating use of data from Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest and to Antti R?ike for picking up the Finnish data. Partial support for BRC and ASW was provided by NSF grants DEB#1556603 (Deciphering Dissolved Organic Nitrogen) and EPS#1929148 (Canary in the Watershed). Partial support for PJJ was provided by Natural Environment Research Council, UK large grant NE/K010689/1 (DOMAINE: Characterising the Nature, Origins and Ecological?353 Significance of DOM in Freshwater Ecosystems). Partial support for SB was provided by AEI/FEDER UE via RTI2018-094521-B-100 and RYC-2017-22643 projects. Support for AA was provided by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture McIntire-Stennis Project 1016163. Partial funding was provided by the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station. This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture McIntire-Stennis Project 1019522 (WHM) and Hatch Multi-State Project 1022291 (ASW). This is Scientific Contribution 2890. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions that have helped improve this manuscript. Funding Information: This work was conducted as a part of the Stream Elemental Cycling Synthesis Group funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant DEB#1545288, through the Long‐Term Ecological Research Network Office (LNO), National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), University of California‐Santa Barbara. We acknowledge the efforts of Julien Brun for assistance with data synthesis and the efforts of multiple individuals who collected and analyzed samples. Thank you to Gene Likens, John Campbell, and Emily Bernhardt for facilitating use of data from Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest and to Antti R{\"a}ike for picking up the Finnish data. Partial support for BRC and ASW was provided by NSF grants DEB#1556603 (Deciphering Dissolved Organic Nitrogen) and EPS#1929148 (Canary in the Watershed). Partial support for PJJ was provided by Natural Environment Research Council, UK large grant NE/K010689/1 (DOMAINE: Characterising the Nature, Origins and Ecological 353 Significance of DOM in Freshwater Ecosystems). Partial support for SB was provided by AEI/FEDER UE via RTI2018‐094521‐B‐100 and RYC‐2017‐22643 projects. Support for AA was provided by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture McIntire‐Stennis Project 1016163. Partial funding was provided by the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station. This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture McIntire‐Stennis Project 1019522 (WHM) and Hatch Multi‐State Project 1022291 (ASW). This is Scientific Contribution 2890. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions that have helped improve this manuscript. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.",

year = "2021",

month = nov,

day = "6",

doi = "10.1111/gcb.15965",

language = "English",

volume = "28",

pages = "98--114",

journal = "Global Change Biology",

issn = "1354-1013",

publisher = "Wiley",

number = "1",

}

Rodriguez-Cardona, B, Wymore, A, Argerich, A, Barnes, R, Bernal, S, Brookshire, J, Coble, A, Dodds, W, Fazekas, H, Helton, A, Johnes , PJ, Johnson, S, Jones, J, Kaushal, S, Kortelainen, P, Lopez-Lloreda, C, Spencer, R & McDowell, W 2021, 'Shifting stoichiometry: Long-term trends in stream-dissolved organic matter reveal altered C:N ratios due to history of atmospheric acid deposition', Global Change Biology, vol. 28, no. 1, GCB15965, pp. 98-114. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15965

Shifting stoichiometry: Long-term trends in stream-dissolved organic matter reveal altered C:N ratios due to history of atmospheric acid deposition. / Rodriguez-Cardona, Bianca; Wymore, Adam; Argerich, Alba et al.
In: Global Change Biology, Vol. 28, No. 1, GCB15965, 06.11.2021, p. 98-114.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Shifting stoichiometry

T2 - Long-term trends in stream-dissolved organic matter reveal altered C:N ratios due to history of atmospheric acid deposition

AU - Rodriguez-Cardona, Bianca

AU - Wymore, Adam

AU - Argerich, Alba

AU - Barnes, Rebecca

AU - Bernal, Susana

AU - Brookshire, Jack

AU - Coble, Ashley

AU - Dodds, Walter

AU - Fazekas, Hannah

AU - Helton, Ashley

AU - Johnes , Penny J

AU - Johnson, Sherri

AU - Jones, Jeremy

AU - Kaushal, Sujay

AU - Kortelainen, Pirkko

AU - Lopez-Lloreda, Carla

AU - Spencer, Robert

AU - McDowell, William

N1 - Funding Information: This work was conducted as a part of the Stream Elemental Cycling Synthesis Group funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant DEB#1545288, through the Long-Term Ecological Research Network Office (LNO), National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), University of California-Santa Barbara. We acknowledge the efforts of Julien Brun for assistance with data synthesis and the efforts of multiple individuals who collected and analyzed samples. Thank you to Gene Likens, John Campbell, and Emily Bernhardt for facilitating use of data from Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest and to Antti R?ike for picking up the Finnish data. Partial support for BRC and ASW was provided by NSF grants DEB#1556603 (Deciphering Dissolved Organic Nitrogen) and EPS#1929148 (Canary in the Watershed). Partial support for PJJ was provided by Natural Environment Research Council, UK large grant NE/K010689/1 (DOMAINE: Characterising the Nature, Origins and Ecological?353 Significance of DOM in Freshwater Ecosystems). Partial support for SB was provided by AEI/FEDER UE via RTI2018-094521-B-100 and RYC-2017-22643 projects. Support for AA was provided by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture McIntire-Stennis Project 1016163. Partial funding was provided by the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station. This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture McIntire-Stennis Project 1019522 (WHM) and Hatch Multi-State Project 1022291 (ASW). This is Scientific Contribution 2890. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions that have helped improve this manuscript. Funding Information: This work was conducted as a part of the Stream Elemental Cycling Synthesis Group funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant DEB#1545288, through the Long‐Term Ecological Research Network Office (LNO), National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), University of California‐Santa Barbara. We acknowledge the efforts of Julien Brun for assistance with data synthesis and the efforts of multiple individuals who collected and analyzed samples. Thank you to Gene Likens, John Campbell, and Emily Bernhardt for facilitating use of data from Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest and to Antti Räike for picking up the Finnish data. Partial support for BRC and ASW was provided by NSF grants DEB#1556603 (Deciphering Dissolved Organic Nitrogen) and EPS#1929148 (Canary in the Watershed). Partial support for PJJ was provided by Natural Environment Research Council, UK large grant NE/K010689/1 (DOMAINE: Characterising the Nature, Origins and Ecological 353 Significance of DOM in Freshwater Ecosystems). Partial support for SB was provided by AEI/FEDER UE via RTI2018‐094521‐B‐100 and RYC‐2017‐22643 projects. Support for AA was provided by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture McIntire‐Stennis Project 1016163. Partial funding was provided by the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station. This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture McIntire‐Stennis Project 1019522 (WHM) and Hatch Multi‐State Project 1022291 (ASW). This is Scientific Contribution 2890. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions that have helped improve this manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2021/11/6

Y1 - 2021/11/6

N2 - Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) are important energy and nutrient sources for aquatic ecosystems. In many northern temperate freshwater systems DOC has increased in the past 50 years. Less is known about how changes in DOC may vary across latitudes, and whether changes in DON track those of DOC. Here we present long-term DOC and DON data from 74 streams distributed across seven sites in biomes ranging from the tropics to northern boreal forests with varying histories of atmospheric acid deposition. For each stream, we examined temporal trends of DOC and DON concentrations and DOC:DON molar ratios. While some sites displayed consistent positive or negative trends in stream DOC and DON concentrations, changes in direction or magnitude were inconsistent at regional or local scales. DON trends did not always track those of DOC, though DOC:DON ratios increased over time for ~30% of streams. Our results indicate that the dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool is experiencing fundamental changes due to recovery from atmospheric acid deposition. Changes in DOC:DON stoichiometry point to a shifting energy-nutrient balance in many aquatic ecosystems. Sustained changes in the character of DOM can have major implications for stream metabolism, biogeochemical processes, food webs, and drinking water quality (including disinfection by-products). Understanding regional and global variation in DOC and DON concentrations is important for developing realistic models and watershed management protocols to effectively target mitigation efforts aimed at bringing DOM flux and nutrient enrichment under control.

AB - Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) are important energy and nutrient sources for aquatic ecosystems. In many northern temperate freshwater systems DOC has increased in the past 50 years. Less is known about how changes in DOC may vary across latitudes, and whether changes in DON track those of DOC. Here we present long-term DOC and DON data from 74 streams distributed across seven sites in biomes ranging from the tropics to northern boreal forests with varying histories of atmospheric acid deposition. For each stream, we examined temporal trends of DOC and DON concentrations and DOC:DON molar ratios. While some sites displayed consistent positive or negative trends in stream DOC and DON concentrations, changes in direction or magnitude were inconsistent at regional or local scales. DON trends did not always track those of DOC, though DOC:DON ratios increased over time for ~30% of streams. Our results indicate that the dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool is experiencing fundamental changes due to recovery from atmospheric acid deposition. Changes in DOC:DON stoichiometry point to a shifting energy-nutrient balance in many aquatic ecosystems. Sustained changes in the character of DOM can have major implications for stream metabolism, biogeochemical processes, food webs, and drinking water quality (including disinfection by-products). Understanding regional and global variation in DOC and DON concentrations is important for developing realistic models and watershed management protocols to effectively target mitigation efforts aimed at bringing DOM flux and nutrient enrichment under control.

KW - atmospheric acid deposition

KW - C:N stoichiometry

KW - dissolved organic carbon

KW - dissolved organic matter

KW - dissolved organic nitrogen

KW - long-term trends

KW - streams

U2 - 10.1111/gcb.15965

DO - 10.1111/gcb.15965

M3 - Article (Academic Journal)

C2 - 34706120

SN - 1354-1013

VL - 28

SP - 98

EP - 114

JO - Global Change Biology

JF - Global Change Biology

IS - 1

M1 - GCB15965

ER -

Shifting stoichiometry: Long-term trends in stream-dissolved organic matter reveal altered C:N ratios due to history of atmospheric acid deposition

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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DOMAINE: Characterisation of the nature, origins and ecological significance of dissolved organic matter in freshwater ecosystems

Cite this