@article{LukasWacker2014, author = {Lukas, Marcus and Wacker, Alexander}, title = {Constraints by oxygen and food quality on carbon pathway regulation: a co-limitation study with an aquatic key herbivore}, series = {Ecology : a publication of the Ecological Society of America}, volume = {95}, journal = {Ecology : a publication of the Ecological Society of America}, number = {11}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0012-9658}, pages = {3068 -- 3079}, year = {2014}, abstract = {In food webs, herbivores are often constrained by low food quality in terms of mineral and biochemical limitations, which in aquatic ecosystems can co-occur with limited oxygen conditions. As low food quality implies that carbon (C) is available in excess, and therefore a regulation to get rid of excess C is crucial for the performance of consumers, we examined the C pathways (ingestion, feces release, excretion, and respiration) of a planktonic key herbivore (Daphnia magna). We tested whether consumer C pathways increase due to mineral (phosphorus, P) or biochemical (cholesterol and fatty acid) limitations and how these regulations vary when in addition oxygen is low. Under such conditions, at least the capability of the upregulation of respiration may be restricted. Furthermore, we discussed the potential role of the oxygen-transporting protein hemoglobin (Hb) in the regulation of C budgets. Different food quality constraints led to certain C regulation patterns to increase the removal of excess dietary C: P-limited D. magna increased excretion and respiration, while cholesterol-limited Daphnia in addition upregulated the release of feces. In contrast, the regulative effort was low and only feces release increased when D. magna was limited by a long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA). Co-limiting oxygen did not always impact the discharge of excess C. We found the food-quality-induced upregulation of respiration was still present at low oxygen. In contrast, higher excretion of excess C was diminished at low oxygen supply. Besides the effect that the Hb concentration increased under low oxygen, our results indicate a low food-quality-induced increase in the Hb content of the animals. Overall, C budgeting is phenotypically plastic towards different (co-) limiting scenarios. These trigger specific regulation responses that could be the result of evolutionary adaptations.}, language = {en} } @article{MehnerAttermeyerBraunsetal.2016, author = {Mehner, T. and Attermeyer, Katrin and Brauns, Mario and Brothers, Soren M. and Diekmann, J. and Gaedke, Ursula and Grossart, Hans-Peter and Koehler, J. and Lischke, Betty and Meyer, N. and Scharnweber, Inga Kristin and Syvaranta, J. and Vanni, M. J. and Hilt, S.}, title = {Weak Response of Animal Allochthony and Production to Enhanced Supply of Terrestrial Leaf Litter in Nutrient-Rich Lakes}, series = {Ecosystems}, volume = {19}, journal = {Ecosystems}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {1432-9840}, doi = {10.1007/s10021-015-9933-2}, pages = {311 -- 325}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Ecosystems are generally linked via fluxes of nutrients and energy across their boundaries. For example, freshwater ecosystems in temperate regions may receive significant inputs of terrestrially derived carbon via autumnal leaf litter. This terrestrial particulate organic carbon (POC) is hypothesized to subsidize animal production in lakes, but direct evidence is still lacking. We divided two small eutrophic lakes each into two sections and added isotopically distinct maize litter to the treatment sections to simulate increased terrestrial POC inputs via leaf litter in autumn. We quantified the reliance of aquatic consumers on terrestrial resources (allochthony) in the year subsequent to POC additions by applying mixing models of stable isotopes. We also estimated lake-wide carbon (C) balances to calculate the C flow to the production of the major aquatic consumer groups: benthic macroinvertebrates, crustacean zooplankton, and fish. The sum of secondary production of crustaceans and benthic macroinvertebrates supported by terrestrial POC was higher in the treatment sections of both lakes. In contrast, total secondary and tertiary production (supported by both autochthonous and allochthonous C) was higher in the reference than in the treatment sections of both lakes. Average aquatic consumer allochthony per lake section was 27-40\%, although terrestrial POC contributed less than about 10\% to total organic C supply to the lakes. The production of aquatic consumers incorporated less than 5\% of the total organic C supply in both lakes, indicating a low ecological efficiency. We suggest that the consumption of terrestrial POC by aquatic consumers facilitates a strong coupling with the terrestrial environment. However, the high autochthonous production and the large pool of autochthonous detritus in these nutrient-rich lakes make terrestrial POC quantitatively unimportant for the C flows within food webs.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Ramage2018, author = {Ramage, Justine Lucille}, title = {Impact of Hillslope Thermokarst on the Nearshore Carbon Budget Along the Yukon Coast, Canada}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-42186}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-421867}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xvii, 103}, year = {2018}, abstract = {In ice-rich permafrost regions, changes in the permafrost thermal regime cause surface disturbances. These changes are amplified by the increase in air temperatures recorded in the Arctic in the past decades. Thermokarst is a process that leads to surface subsidence and formation of characteristic landforms following thawing of ice-rich permafrost or melting of massive ice. Thermokarst is widespread on hillslopes and the number of associated landforms is increasing in the Arctic. Through this process large amounts of material are eroded and transported to the sea or accumulate along hillslopes. While hillslope thermokarst modifies terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, there is limited understanding of its environmental impact at a regional scale. In this thesis we quantify the environmental impacts of hillslope thermokarst on the valley and nearshore ecosystems along the Yukon Coast, Canada. Using supervised machine learning, we identified geomorphic factors that favour the development of coastal retrogressive thaw slump (RTS), one of the most dynamic hillslope thermokarst landform. Coastal geomorphology and ground ice type and content play a major role in RTS occurrence. Using aerial photographs and satellite imagery, we traced the evolution of RTSs between 1952 and 2011. During this time, the number and areal coverage of RTSs increased by 73\%. RTSs eroded and partly released to the nearshore zone organic carbon contained in millions of cubic meters of material. Our results show that 56\% of the RTSs identified along the coast in 2011 have eroded 16.6 × 10^6 m3 of material; a large part (45\%) was transported alongshore due to coastal processes. Moreover, we show that RTSs are a major contributor to the carbon budget in the nearshore ecosystem: 17\% of the coastal RTSs identified in 2011 contributed annually up to 0.6\% of the organic carbon released by coastal retreat along the Yukon Coast. To assess the impact of hillslope thermokarst on the terrestrial ecosystem, we measured the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) along hillslopes in three Arctic valleys. We highlight the high spatial variability in the distribution of SOC and TN in the valleys. This distribution is caused by complex soil processes occurring along the hillslopes. Hillslope thermokarst impacts the degradation of organic matter and affects the storage of SOC and TN.}, language = {de} }