Evaluation of Community Respiratory Mechanisms With Oxygen Isotopes
Abstract
Oxygen uptake in the surface waters of oceans and lakes takes place by ordinary dark respiration as well as by cyanide resistant respiration in both dark and light conditions, and by photorespiration and Mehler reaction that occur only during illumination. Thus in order to study the overall discrimination in aquatic systems it is necessary to eval- uate its effects in both light and dark conditions and to separate the effect of photo- synthetic production of oxygen. Such separation is possible if gross rates of oxygen production and consumption are known. We have estimated these rates from in situ incubation experiments and from the natural distribution of O-16, O-17, O-18 and the ratio of dissolved oxygen/argon. We have studied the respiration mechanisms in L. Kinneret, in the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda and in the Southern Ocean. The over- all respiratory fractionation, which represents both light and dark consumption, was greater than the fractionation found in dark incubations of surface waters. We suggest that the only mechanism that can explain the strong overall fractionation is significant O2 uptake by cyanide resistant respiration in illuminated plankton. Our study shows that cyanide resistant respiration, which is known to strongly fractionate against O-18, is widespread in aquatic systems.
- Publication:
-
EGS General Assembly Conference Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002EGSGA..27.1123L