Lignocellulose Mineralization by Arctic Lake Sediments in Response to Nutrient Manipulation

Abstract

Mineralization of specifically labeled 14 C-cellulose- and 14 C-lignin-labeled lignocelluloses by Toolik Lake, Alaska, sediments was examined in response to manipulation of various environmental factors. Mineralization was measured by quantifying the amount of labeled CO 2 released from the specifically labeled substrates. Nitrogen (NH 4 NO 3 ) and, to a greater degree, phosphorus (PO 4 −3 ) additions enhanced the mineralization of white pine ( Pinus strobus ) cellulose during the summer of 1978. Nitrogen and phosphorus together had no cumulative effect. During the summer of 1979, nitrogen or phosphorus alone had only a slight stimulatory effect on the mineralization of a sedge ( Carex aquatilis ) cellulose; however, together, they had a dramatic effect. This variable response of mineralization to nutrient addition between 1978 and 1979 was probably attributable to year-to-year variation in nutrient availability within the lake. Cellobiose addition and oxygen depletion inhibited the amount of pine cellulose mineralized. Whereas addition of nitrogen to oxygen-depleted treatments had limited effect, addition of phosphorus resulted in mineralizations equal to or greater than that of the controls. Nitrogen had no effect on mineralization of pine or Carex lignins. Phosphorus, however, inhibited mineralization of both lignins. With Carex lignin, the phosphorus inhibition occurred at a concentration as low as 0.1 μM. The antagonistic role of phosphorus in cellulose and lignin mineralizations may be of significance in understanding the increased proportion of lignin relative to cellulose in decomposing litter.