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The change in the community structure of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton, and in the degree of coupling between them as well as the environmental conditions, have substantial impacts on the transfer of energy to higher trophic levels and finally on the fate of organic matter. The microbial community structure, usually described only by the abundance of the different taxonomic or functional groups, can be extended to include other levels of descriptors, like physiological state and single-cell properties. These features play a role in the ecological regulation of microbial communities but are not generally studied as additional descriptors of the community structure. Here, we show the changes in abundance and single-cell characteristics based on flow cytometry measurements of picocyanobacteria, photoautotrophic pico- and nanoeukaryotes, and heterotrophic bacteria during the rainy and dry seasons along the estuarine gradient of the inner Gulf of Nicoya. The spatiotemporal distribution of these microbial assemblages showed different patterns in surface and bottom waters along the estuarine gradient and seasonally, both in their abundances and single-cell traits, which suggest differences in their ecological regulation. The changes in the structure of the microbial community along the estuary correlated most significantly with the changes in environmental variables during the dry season. This seems to occur due to changes in salinity, concentration and lability of DOC, concentration of DIN and PO 4 3- and net community production, largely affected by the differences in the river flow. In addition, during the dry season, small-size phytoplankton and bacterioplankton assemblages, characterised by abundance and single-cell traits, presented a higher level of coupling, leading to a more complex ecological network with respect to the rainy season., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

This study examines long-term burial rates of organic carbon (OC), organic nitrogen (ON), and total sulphur (TS) in a tidal-dominated coastal wetland with a high spatial heterogeneity and habitat diversity, and long history of human impacts, Cádiz Bay (SW Spain). Using replicate sediment cores, we quantified fluxes of these elements over a transect, extending from the lower saltmarsh (Spartina maritima, ~0.3 m mean sea level, MSL) to the lower intertidal region (Zostera noltei, ~ - 0.7 m MSL). Potential organic matter (OM) sources to the sediment were examined using an extensive dataset on carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes, and C:N molar ratios of primary producers in the region. OC burial rates decreased from the sites below MSL (~80 gC·m -2 ·y -1 ) to the lower saltmarsh (~50 gC·m -2 ·y -1 ), whereas ON burial rates showed an opposite pattern (~3 gN·m -2 ·y -1 and ~4 gN·m -2 ·y -1 observed below and above MSL, respectively). TS burial rates (0.5-46 gS·m -2 ·y -1 ) did not show any trend along the sea-land gradient. Hence, (tidal) elevation appeared to be an important determinant of sediment biogeochemical properties, and predictor of OM burial rates. The Bayesian mixing model suggested a well-mixed combination of subtidal and terrestrial/high-marsh OM sources to the surface sediments, with no clear indication of an increased contribution from the particular vegetation species inhabiting the sediments. The indication that there is substantial transport, remineralization and cycling of OM between habitats, suggests diversity may play an important role in maintaining this function, reinforcing the idea that a holistic, catchment-scale view is appropriate for understanding and preserving the long-term burial of OM in coastal wetlands., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no actual or potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Primary production of microphytobenthos (MPB) contributes significantly to the total production in shallow coastal environments. MPB is a diverse community in which diatoms are usually the main microalgal group. Diatoms require N, P, and other nutrients as with other autotrophs, but in addition require silicate to create their outer cell wall. Therefore, dissolved silica (DSi) might be a potential limiting factor for benthic primary production in areas with reduced freshwater input. To test this hypothesis, a microcosm experiment was conducted using intact sediment cores collected from an intertidal mudflat in the Bay of Cádiz and supplied with increasing concentrations of DSi (0, 5, 10, 25, and 45 μmol · L -1 ). After 7 d of enrichment, we determined chlorophyll a and c (Chl a, c) contents, metabolic rates (Net [P n ] and Areal Gross [P g A ] Production and Light [R L ] and Dark [R D ] Respiration), as well as fluxes of inorganic nutrients across the sediment-water interface. Chl a and c contents increased significantly with respect to the initial conditions but no differences between treatments were found. Both P n and P g A showed a saturating-like pattern with silicate concentration, reaching maximum rates at a DSi concentration of 45 μmol · L -1 . The addition of DSi also resulted in an increase of DSi and ammonium uptake by the sediment, which was significantly higher in light than in darkness. Our results clearly show that water column DSi concentrations have a direct impact on benthic primary production, also controlling other related processes such as inorganic nutrient fluxes., (© 2019 Phycological Society of America.)

Intertidal areas support extensive diatom-rich biofilms. Such microphytobenthic (MPB) diatoms exude large quantities of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) comprising polysaccharides, glycoproteins and other biopolymers, which represent a substantial carbon pool. However, degradation rates of different EPS components, and how they shape heterotrophic communities in sediments, are not well understood. An aerobic mudflat-sediment slurry experiment was performed in the dark with two different EPS carbon sources from a diatom-dominated biofilm: colloidal EPS (cEPS) and the more complex hot-bicarbonate-extracted EPS. Degradation rate constants determined over 9 days for three sediment fractions [dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total carbohydrates (TCHO), and (cEPS)] were generally higher in the colloidal-EPS slurries (0.105-0.123 d -1 ) compared with the hot-bicarbonate-extracted-EPS slurries (0.060-0.096 d -1 ). Addition of hot-bicarbonate-EPS resulted in large increases in dissolved nitrogen and phosphorous by the end of the experiment, indicating that the more complex EPS is an important source of regenerated inorganic nutrients. Microbial biomass increased ~4-6-fold over 9 days, and pyrosequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes revealed that the addition of both types of EPS greatly altered the bacterial community composition (from 0 to 9 days) compared to a control with no added EPS. Bacteroidetes (especially Tenacibaculum ) and Verrucomicrobia increased significantly in relative abundance in both the hot-bicarbonate-EPS and colloidal-EPS treatments. These differential effects of EPS fractions on carbon-loss rates, nutrient regeneration and microbial community assembly improve our understanding of coastal-sediment carbon cycling and demonstrate the importance of diverse microbiota in processing this abundant pool of organic carbon.

Macroalgae blooms, a frequent consequence of eutrophication in coastal areas, affect the photosynthetic activity of sediments dominated by microphytobenthos (MPB). Light spectra, steady-state (after 1 h) microprofiles of O2 , gross photosynthesis (Pg ), community respiration in light (RL ) and net community photosynthesis (Pn ) were measured in diatom- and cyanobacteria-dominated communities below increasing layers of Ulva. Photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) decreased exponentially with increasing layers of algae and the light spectrum was increasingly enriched in the green and deprived in blue and red regions. Sediment Pg , Pn and RL decreased as the number of Ulva layers increased; however, 1.6 times higher macroalgal density was necessary to fully inhibit cyanobacteria Pg compared with diatoms, indicating that cyanobacteria were better adapted to this light environment. Long-term (3 weeks) incubations of diatom-dominated sediments below increasing layers of Ulva resulted in a shift in the taxonomic composition of the MPB towards cyanobacteria. Hence, changes in the light climate below macroalgal accumulations can negatively affect the photosynthetic activity of sediments. However, spectral niche differentiation of MPB taxonomic groups and concurrent changes in the MPB community may provide sediments with increased resilience to the detrimental effects of eutrophication., (© 2012 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)