A tracer investigation of nitrogen cycling in a pristine tundra river
The fate of nitrogen (N) in drainages depends in part on N storage and transformation within the river network. The addition of an [ 15 N]NH 4 + isotopic tracer to a tundra river provided information on the uptake, food web transfer, and ecosystem retention of N. The fourth-order Kuparuk River ecosy...
| Published in: | Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
1997
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f97-142 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f97-142 |
| Summary: | The fate of nitrogen (N) in drainages depends in part on N storage and transformation within the river network. The addition of an [ 15 N]NH 4 + isotopic tracer to a tundra river provided information on the uptake, food web transfer, and ecosystem retention of N. The fourth-order Kuparuk River ecosystem took up 60% of the NH 4 + within 1 h and 1 km of the point of tracer addition. Long-lived biota and epilithon retained measurable amounts of the added 15 N for up to 2 years. These transformations and storages within rivers exert control over the timing of N export, the chemical form of exported N, and, consequently, its ecological impact on downstream aquatic ecosystems. |
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