Bioavailability of dissolved organic matter varies with anthropogenic landcover in the Upper Mississippi River Basin

Water Research
By: , and 

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Abstract

Anthropogenic conversion of forests and wetlands to agricultural and urban landcovers impacts dissolved organic matter (DOM) within streams draining these catchments. Research on how landcover conversion impacts DOM molecular level composition and bioavailability, however, is lacking. In the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB), water from low-order streams and rivers draining one of three dominant landcovers (forest, agriculture, urban) was incubated for 28 days to determine bioavailable DOC (BDOC) concentrations and changes in DOM composition. The BDOC concentration averaged 0.49 ± 0.30 mg L−1 across all samples and was significantly higher in streams draining urban catchments (0.72 ± 0.34 mg L−1) compared to streams draining agricultural (0.28 ± 0.15 mg L−1) and forested (0.47 ± 0.17 mg L−1) catchments. Percent BDOC was significantly greater in urban (10% ± 4.4%) streams compared to forested streams (5.6% ± 3.2%), corresponding with greater relative abundances of aliphatic and N-containing aliphatic compounds in urban streams. Aliphatic compound relative abundance decreased across all landcovers during the bioincubation (average -4.1% ± 10%), whereas polyphenolics and condensed aromatics increased in relative abundance across all landcovers (average of +1.4% ± 5.9% and +1.8% ± 10%, respectively). Overall, the conversion of forested to urban landcover had a larger impact on stream DOM bioavailability in the UMRB compared to conversion to agricultural landcover. Future research examining the impacts of anthropogenic landcover conversion on stream DOM composition and bioavailability needs to be expanded to a range of spatial scales and to different ecotones, especially with continued landcover alterations.

Study Area

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Bioavailability of dissolved organic matter varies with anthropogenic landcover in the Upper Mississippi River Basin
Series title Water Research
DOI 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119357
Volume 229
Year Published 2023
Language English
Publisher Elsevier
Contributing office(s) WMA - Earth System Processes Division
Description 119357, 11 p.
Country United States
State Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin
Other Geospatial Upper Mississippi River Basin
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