Epibenthic Algal Production and Community Respiration in the Sediments of Marion Lake

Abstract

Gross epibenthic algal production and benthic community respiration in Marion Lake, British Columbia, were measured during 1968 by following changes in dissolved oxygen over undisturbed sediment cores. No measurable chemical uptake of oxygen occurred during short-term experiments. Multiple regression analyses showed that in situ oxygen production by epibenthic algae was directly related to temperature, light, and community respiration and inversely related to day length. Mean weekly values of these variables were substituted into the regression to estimate annual gross algal production on sediment at various depths in Marion Lake. Photosynthetic efficiency ranged from 0.4 to 3.1% and increased with depth of water over the sediment. Sedimentary chlorophyll was stratified with highest concentrations in the upper few centimeters of sediment which corresponded to the depth of oxygen penetration.Measurements of in situ oxygen consumption showed that community respiration was related to temperature, oxygen concentration, and day length in a curvilinear manner. Oxygen uptake was minimal at midday and increased during the night. A multiple linear regression was derived, after suitable transformations, and mean weekly values of variables substituted to estimate annual community respiration.Bacterial respiration was measured as the difference in total community respiration when antibiotics were added to water over undisturbed sediment cores. Less than 30% of community oxygen consumption was inhibited by antibiotic treatment during the summer, whereas over 45% reduction occurred during the winter. Bacterial respiration was directly related to temperature and showed no significant correlation with oxygen concentration or other variables shown to affect community respiration. Macrofauna respired 33% of the total oxygen consumed by sediment cores during June, and epibenthic algae were estimated to account for 23% of community respiration. Net epibenthic algal production, calculated by correcting gross oxygen production for estimated algal respiration, was 85% of gross production during the summer.Annual carbon flux across the sediment in Marion Lake was estimated by comparing processes of carbon addition and removal. From previous studies, phytoplankton and macrophytes added 0.8 and 18 g C m−2 year−1. Organic particulate matter from the inlet stream, other than macroscopic debris, contributed 143 g C m−2 year−1 and average gross epibenthic algal production was 40 g C m−2 year−1. Community respiration consumed 57 g C m−2 year−1. An additional 143 g C m−2 year−1 was lost as particulate matter in the outlet stream and emerging insects could remove 1.3 g C m−2 year−1. Only 8 g C m−2 was estimated to accumulate below the aerobic surface–sediment layer annually.