Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Biogeochemistry of the Caeté Mangrove-Shelf System

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Mangrove Dynamics and Management in North Brazil

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 211))

Abstract

Mangrove biogeochemistry addresses the interrelation between primary production and nutrient cycles, material fluxes and secondary production. It requires data on source identification, quantification and turnover of organic matter and inorganic nutrients in sediments, porewater and in the water column. This information can be derived from organic biomarkers, and it is one of the important tasks in the field of biogeochemistry to develop such proxies. Lignin phenols, for example, are suitable source indicators to distinguish between organic matter derived from mangroves, other terrigenous sources and aqueous organisms. Pentacyclic triterpenols can be applied as chemotaxonomic tracers to identify organic matter from leaves of different mangrove species. After an initial rapid degradation, these markers leave a typical chemical imprint in mangrove sediments. It is important to consider the preservation potential of these markers ranging from weeks to thousands or even millions of years. The concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients (silicate, phosphate, ammonium and nitrite) indicate sources of water masses in tidal creeks on different time scales and also reflect autotrophic and microbial activity. Inorganic and organic nutrient flux calculations on daily, seasonal, annual and centurial time scales reveal the significance of the mangrove ecosystem for adjacent ecosystems, in particular the coastal shelf. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from mangroves contributes a major fraction of organic carbon which is exported to the coastal ocean while suspended matter and riverine DOC is rapidly removed from the water column within the estuary. Stable carbon isotopes show that mangroves represent the main source of terrigenous DOC in the open ocean off northern Brazil. Tidal range and porewater concentrations are driving forces behind coastal outwelling of nutrients and organic matter from mangroves. Molecular organic investigations can reveal the influence of microbial and photochemical decay. Sunlight efficiently destroyed aromatic molecules during transport offshore, removing about one-third of mangrove-derived DOC. The remainder was refractory and may thus be distributed over the oceans. On a global scale, it is estimated that mangroves account for >10% of the terrestrially-derived, refractory DOC transported to the ocean, while they cover only <0.1% of the continents’ surface. These numbers also emphasize the significance of mangroves for global biogeochemical cycles.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alongi DM (1988) Bacterial productivity and microbial biomass in tropical mangrove sediments. Microb Ecol 15:59–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alongi DM (1990) Abundances of benthic microfauna in relation to outwelling of mangrove detritus in a tropical coastal region. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 63:53–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alongi DM (1996) The dynamics of benthic nutrient pools and fluxes in tropical mangrove forests. J Mar Res 54:123–148

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Alongi DM, Boto KG, Tirendi F (1989) Effect of exported mangrove litter on bacterial productivity and dissolved organic carbon fluxes in adjacent tropical nearshore sediments. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 56:133–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Angsupanich S, Miyoshi H, Hata Y (1989) Degradation of mangrove leaves immersed in the estuary of Nakama River, Okinawa. Bull Jap Soc Sci Fish 55:147–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ayukai T, Miller D, Wolanksi E, Spagnol S (1998) Fluxes of nutrients and dissolved and particulate organic matter in two mangrove creeks in northeastern Australia. Mangr Salt Marshes 2:223–230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balasubramanian T, Venugopalan VK (1984) Dissolved organic matter in Pitchawaram mangrove environment, Tamil Nadu, South India. In: Soepadmo E, Rao AN, Macintosh DJ (eds) Proceedings of the Asian symposium on mangrove environment: research and management. University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, pp 496–513

    Google Scholar 

  • Behling H, Cohen MCL, Lara RJ (2001) Studies on Holocene mangrove ecosystem dynamics of the Bragança Peninsula in north-eastern Pará, Brazil. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 167:225–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benner R, Hodson RE (1985) Microbial degradation of the leachable and lignocellulosic components of leaves and wood from Rhizophora mangle in a tropical mangrove swamp. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 23:221–230

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Benner R, Hatcher PG, Hedges JI (1990) Early diagenesis of mangrove leaves in a tropical estuary: bulk chemical characterization using solid-state 13C NMR and elemental analysis. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 54:2003–2013

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bjørnson PK (1998) Phytoplankton exudation of organic matter. Why do healthy cells do it? Limnol Oceanogr 33:151–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boto KG, Robertson AI (1990) The relationship between nitrogen fixation and tidal exports of nitrogen in a tropical mangrove system. Estuarine Coast Shelf Sci 31:541–554

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boto KG, Wellington JT (1988) Seasonal variations in concentrations and fluxes of dissolved organic and inorganic materials in a tropical, tidally-dominated, mangrove waterway. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 50:151–160

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bouillon S, Middelburg JJ, Dehairs F, Borges AV, Abril G, Flindt MR, Ulomi S, Kristensen E (2007) Importance of intertidal sediment processes and porewater exchange on the water column biogeochemistry in a pristine mangrove creek (Ras Dege, Tanzania). Biogeosciences 4:311–322

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bouillon S, Borges AV, Castaneda-Moya E, Diele K, Dittmar T, Duke NC, Kristensen E, Lee SY, Marchand C, Middelburg JJ, Rivera-Monroy VH, Smith TJ, Twilley RR (2008) Mangrove production and carbon sinks: a revision of global budget estimates. Global Biogeochem Cycles 22:GB2013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronk DA, Glibert PM (1991) A 15 N tracer method for the measurement of dissolved organic nitrogen release by phytoplankton. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 77:171–182

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dittmar T, Lara RJ (2001a) Do mangroves rather than rivers provide nutrients to coastal environments south of the Amazon River? Evidence from long-term flux measurements. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 213:67–77

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dittmar T, Lara RJ (2001b) Driving forces behind nutrient and organic matter dynamics in a mangrove tidal creek in North Brazil. Estuarine Coast Shelf Sci 52:249–259

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dittmar T, Lara RJ (2001c) Molecular evidence for lignin degradation in sulfate-reducing mangrove sediments (Amazônia, Brazil). Geochim Cosmochim Acta 65:1417–1428

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dittmar T, Lara RJ, Kattner G (2001) River or mangrove? Tracing major organic matter sources in tropical Brazilian coastal waters. Mar Chem 73:253–271

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dittmar T, Hertkorn N, Kattner G, Lara RJ (2006) Mangroves, a major source of dissolved organic carbon to the oceans. Global Biogeochem Cycles 20:1–7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dittmar T, Whitehead K, Minor EC, Koch BP (2007) Tracing terrigenous dissolved organic matter and its photochemical decay in the ocean by using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Mar Chem 107:378–387

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gillan FT, Hogg RW (1984) A method for the estimation of bacterial biomass and community structure in mangrove-associated sediments. J Microbiol Methods 2:275–293

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hertkorn N, Benner R, Frommberger M, Schmitt-Kopplin P, Witt M, Kaiser K, Kettrup A, Hedges JI (2006) Characterization of a major refractory component of marine dissolved organic matter. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 70:2990–3010

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jay DA, Musiak JD (1994) Particle trapping in estuarine tidal flows. J Geophys Res 99:20445–20461

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jennerjahn TC, Ittekkot V (2002) Relevance of mangroves for the production and deposition of organic matter along tropical continental margins. Naturwissenschaften 89:23–30

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Killops SD, Frewin NL (1994) Triterpenoid diagenesis and cuticular preservation. Org Geochem 21:1193–1209

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kim S, Simpson AJ, Kujawinski EB, Freitas MA, Hatcher PG (2003) High resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and 2D solution NMR for the analysis of DOM extracted by C18 solid phase disk. Org Geochem 34:1325–1335

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koch BP (2002) Organic matter pathways in a mangrove system in Northern Brazil: Chemical tracers of major sources under the influence of sedimentation and biological degradation. PhD thesis, University of Bremen, Bremen. ZMT Contribution vol 15

    Google Scholar 

  • Koch BP, Rullkötter J, Lara RJ (2003) Evaluation of triterpenols and sterols as organic matter biomarkers in a mangrove ecosystem in northern Brazil. Wetl Ecol Manag 11:257–263

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koch BP, Harder J, Lara RJ, Kattner G (2005a) The effect of selective microbial degradation on the composition of mangrove derived pentacyclic triterpenols in surface sediments. Org Geochem 36:273–285

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koch BP, Witt M, Engbrodt R, Dittmar T, Kattner G (2005b) Molecular formulae of marine and terrigenous dissolved organic matter detected by Electrospray Ionisation Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 69:3299–3308

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koch BP, Witt M, Kattner G, Dittmar T (2007) Fundamentals of molecular formula assignment to ultrahigh resolution mass data of natural organic matter. Anal Chem 79:1758–1763

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koch BP, Ludwichowski K-U, Kattner G, Dittmar T, Witt M (2008) Advanced characterization of marine dissolved organic matter by combining reversed-phase liquid chromatography and FT-ICR-MS. Mar Chem 111:233–241

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kristensen E, Bouillon S, Dittmar T, Marchand C (2008) Organic carbon dynamics in mangrove ecosystems: review. Aquat Bot 89:201–219

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kujawinski EB, Del Vecchio R, Blough NV, Klein GC, Marshall AG (2004) Probing molecular-level transformations of dissolved organic matter: insights on photochemical degradation and protozoan modification of DOM from electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Mar Chem 92:23–37

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lara RJ, Dittmar T (1999) Nutrient dynamics in a mangrove creek (North Brazil) during the dry season. Mangroves Salt Marshes 3:185–195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee SY (1995) Mangrove outwelling – a review. Hydrobiologia 295:203–212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mann FD, Steinke TD (1992) Biological nitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction) associated with decomposing Avicennia marina leaves in the Beachwood Mangrove Nature Reserve. S Afr J Bot 58:533–536

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall AG, Hendrickson CL, Jackson GS (1998) Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry: a primer. Mass Spectrom Rev 17:1–35

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mehlig U (2001) Aspects of tree primary production in an equatorial mangrove forest in Brazil. PhD thesis, University of Bremen, Bremen. ZMT Contribution vol 14

    Google Scholar 

  • Moran MA, Wicks RJ, Hodson RE (1991) Export of dissolved organic matter from a mangrove swamp ecosystem: evidence from natural fluorescence, dissolved lignin phenols, and bacterial secondary production. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 76:175–184

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morell JM, Corredor JE (1993) Sediment nitrogen trapping in a mangrove lagoon. Estuarine Coast Shelf Sci 37:203–212

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Odum EP (1968) A research challenge: evaluating the productivity of coastal and estuarine water. Proceedings of the Second Sea Grant Conference, University of Rode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography, Kingston, Rhode Island, pp 63–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Odum EP, Heald EJ (1975) The detritus bases food web of an estuarine mangrove community. In: Cronin LE (ed) Estuarine Research. Academic, New York, pp 265–286

    Google Scholar 

  • Paling EI, McComb AJ (1994) Cyanobacterial mats: A possible nitrogen source for arid-coast mangroves. Int J Ecol Environ Sci 40:47–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Potts M (1979) Nitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction) associated with communities of heterocystous and non-heterocystous blue-green algae in mangrove forests of Sinai. Oecologia 39:359–373

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Potts M (1984) Nitrogen fixation in mangrove forests. In: Por FD, Dor I (eds) Hydrobiology of the mangal. The ecosystem of the mangrove forests. Development in Hydrobiology 20. Dr. W. Junk Publisher, The Hague, pp 155–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson AI, Alongi DM, Boto KG (1992) Food chains and carbon fluxes. In: Robertson AI, Alongi DM (eds) Tropical Mangrove Ecosystems, Coastal and Estuarine Series 41. American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, pp 293–326

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Schories D, Barletta-Bergan A, Barletta M, Krumme U, Mehlig U, Rademaker V (2003) The keystone role of leafremoving crabs in mangrove forests of North Brazil. Wetl Ecol Manag 11:243–255

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwendenmann L (1998) Tidal and seasonal variations of soil and water properties in a Brazilian mangrove ecosystem. MSc thesis, University of Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe

    Google Scholar 

  • Scourse J, Marret F, Versteegh GJM, Jansen JHF, Schefuss E, van der Plicht J (2005) High-resolution last deglaciation record from the Congo fan reveals significance of mangrove pollen and biomarkers as indicators of shelf transgression. Quat Res 64:57–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sessegolo GC, Lana PC (1991) Decomposition of Rhizophora mangle, Avicennia schaueriana and Lacuncularia racemosa leaves in a mangrove of Paranagua Bay (southeastern Brazil). Bot Mar 34:385–289

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith TJ, Boto KG, Frusher SD, Giddins RL (1991) Keystone species and mangrove forest dynamics: the influence of burrowing by crabs on soil nutrient status and forest productivity. Estuarine Coast Shelf Sci 33:419–432

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Steinke TD, Ward CJ (1987) Degradation of mangrove leaf litter in the St Lucia Estuary as influenced by season and exposure. S Afr J Bot 53:323–328

    Google Scholar 

  • Stenson AC, Marshall AG, Cooper WT (2003) Exact masses and chemical formulas of individual Suwannee River fulvic acids from ultrahigh resolution Electrospray Ionization Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance mass spectra. Anal Chem 75:1275–1284

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tamooh F, Huxham M, Karachi M, Mencuccini M, Kairo JG, Kirui B (2008) Below-ground root yield and distribution in natural and replanted mangrove forests at Gazi bay, Kenya. Forest Ecol Manag 256:1290–1297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tremblay LB, Dittmar T, Marshall AG, Cooper WJ, Cooper WT (2007) Molecular characterization of dissolved organic matter in a North Brazilian mangrove porewater and mangrove-fringed estuaries by ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and excitation/emission spectroscopy. Mar Chem 105:15–29

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Twilley RR (1985) The exchange of organic carbon in basin mangrove forest in a southwestern Florida estuary. Estuarine Coast Shelf Sci 20:543–557

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Twilley RR, Pozo M, Garcia VH, Rivera Monroy VH, Zambrano R, Bodero A (1997) Litter dynamics in riverine mangrove forests in the Guayas River estuary, Ecuador. Oecologia 111:109–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valiela I, Bowen LJ, York JK (2001) Mangrove forests: one of the world´s threatened major tropical environments. BioScience 51:807–815

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Versteegh GJM, Schefuß E, Dupont L, Marret F, Sinninghe Damsté JS, Jansen JHF (2004) Taraxerol and Rhizophora pollen as proxies for tracking past mangrove ecosystems. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 68:411–422

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wafar S, Untawale AG, Wafar M (1997) Litter fall and energy flux in a mangrove ecosystem. Estuarine Coast Shelf Sci 44:111–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werner U (1999) Räumliche Verteilung und Primärproduktion des Phytoplanktons in einem Gezeitenkanal einer Mangrove (Bragança, Pará). Dipl thesis, University of Bremen, Bremen

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodroffe C (1992) Mangrove sediments and geomorphology. In: Robertson AI, Alongi DM (eds) Tropical mangrove ecosystems, coastal and Estuarine studies. American Geophysical Union Press, Washington, DC, pp 7–42

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Zonneveld KAF, Versteegh GJM, Kasten S, Eglinton TI, Emeis KC, Huguet C, Koch BP, de Lange GJ, de Leeuw JW, Middelburg JJ, Mollenhauer G, Prahl F, Rethemeyer J, Wakeham S (2010) Selective preservation of organic matter in marine environments; processes and impact on the fossil record, Biogeosciences 7:483–511.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Applied Sciences, An der Karlstadt 8, 27568, Bremerhaven, Germany

    B. P. Koch

  2. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany

    B. P. Koch

  3. Max Planck Research Group – Marine Geochemistry, Carl von Ossietzky University, ICBM, 2503, 26111, Oldenburg, Germany

    T. Dittmar

  4. Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Fahrenheitstr. 6, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    R. J. Lara

Authors
  1. B. P. Koch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. T. Dittmar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. J. Lara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to B. P. Koch .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecolo, Fahrenheitstr. 6, Bremen, 28359, Germany

    Ulrich Saint-Paul

  2. , Instituto de Estudos Costeiros, Universidade Federal do Pará, Alameda Leandro Ribeiro s/n, Bragança/PA, 68.600-000, Brazil

    Horacio Schneider

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Koch, B.P., Dittmar, T., Lara, R.J. (2010). The Biogeochemistry of the Caeté Mangrove-Shelf System. In: Saint-Paul, U., Schneider, H. (eds) Mangrove Dynamics and Management in North Brazil. Ecological Studies, vol 211. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13457-9_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation