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Significance of temperature control in nitrogen transformations in surface sediments of Taihu Lake, China

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Abstract

Temperature is an important factor that affects nitrogen (N) transformations in an aquatic ecosystem. In this study, the surface sediments (0 to − 2 cm) from both outer and inner Meiliang Bay (OMB; IMB) were collected. A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted at different temperatures (10 °C, 20 °C and 30 °C) by the 15N tracing technique. Gross N transformation rates, including nitrification and denitrification, and NH4+ (ia) and NO3− (in) immobilization rates were estimated by the FLUAZ model. The results showed that both nitrification and denitrification rates of sediments were significantly higher in IMB than in OMB at any temperature (p < 0.05). The ia reached the highest value and was of significant difference between the bays at 20 °C (p < 0.05) with in less than 0.4 mg kg−1 dry weight sediment (d.w.s.) per day. Increasing temperature caused increased gross N transformation rates in each bay, and the temperature significantly affected nitrification, denitrification and ia rates (p < 0.05). The N transformation rates differed among different sampling sites, mainly due to their significantly different total organic carbon values (p < 0.05). In both bay sediments, microbial immobilization assimilated more NH4+ at 20 °C. The consumption of NH4+ was more by nitrification (55–77%) than by immobilization in the surface sediments of the IMB; likewise 38–73% of NH4+ was consumed by nitrification in the OMB. These findings suggested that temperature dramatically affected the N transformations in surface sediments of Taihu Lake, and the destination of inorganic N varied with temperature.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant Numbers 41730753, 42077033 and 42277287], Jiangsu Cyanine Engineering Project (2021) and Changzhou Vocational Institute of Engineering Doctoral Scientific Research Fund (2021).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Materials Cycling and Pollution Control, School of Geography Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China

    Ling Wu, Wenhui Zhong & Cheng Han

  2. Changzhou Vocational Institute of Engineering, Changzhou, China

    Ling Wu

  3. Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Nanjing, China

    Wenhui Zhong & Cheng Han

  4. Department of Engineeing, Nanjing Normal University Zhongbei College, Danyang, China

    Hongyi Qin

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  1. Ling Wu
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  2. Wenhui Zhong
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  4. Cheng Han
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Correspondence to Cheng Han.

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Wu, L., Zhong, W., Qin, H. et al. Significance of temperature control in nitrogen transformations in surface sediments of Taihu Lake, China. Paddy Water Environ 21, 193–203 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10333-022-00921-7

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