The insignificant effect of increased sulfate concentration on nitrogen dynamics in eutrophic lakes: the neglected role of iron ions
Baogui Liu A B # , Yu Peng A # , Miaotong Yu A , Muchun Zhou A C , Lanqing Zhang A , Li Chen A , Ruoyu Jia A , Chuanqiao Zhou
A D * , Yiting Wu A , Xiaoguang Xu A and Guoxiang Wang A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Environment, Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, PR China.
B School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, PR China.
C China Aerospace Science and Industry Nanjing Chenguang Group, Nanjing, 210022, PR China.
D Present address: 1 Wenyuan Road, Xianlin University District, Nanjing, 210023, PR China.
* Correspondence to: chuanqiaozhou@163.com
# These authors contributed equally to this paper
Handling Editor: Richard McDowell
Marine and Freshwater Research 73(11) 1368-1377 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF22086
Submitted: 13 April 2022 Accepted: 9 August 2022 Published: 9 September 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Context: Sulfate (SO42−) concentrations in eutrophic lakes are continuously increasing.
Aims: This study aimed to explore the effects on nitrogen and their limiting factors in eutrophic lakes.
Methods: We constructed a series of microcosms with different initial SO42− concentrations (0–180 mg L−1) to simulate the SO42− concentration in eutrophic lakes.
Key results: The NO3−-N concentration rapidly decreased in all treatments. The respective 2.21 and 2.77 mg L−1 concentrations of NO3−-N recorded on Day 5 in the initial 150 and 180 mg L−1 SO42− concentration treatments were higher than in other treatments. The highest N2O concentrations in all treatments showed insignificant differences. The existence of free Fe2+ that was released from iron reduction resulted in an insignificant effect of increased SO42− concentration on nitrogen dynamics. With a decrease in Fe2+, the acid volatile sulfate (AVS) increased, and the highest AVS concentrations were positively correlated with the initial SO42− concentration (7.20–12.88 mg kg−1).
Conclusion: This effect could be ascribed to the fact that the rapid combination of sulfide (∑S2−) and Fe2+ prevents ∑S2− from producing a toxic effect on the denitrification.
Implications: Our study highlighted the role of iron in eutrophic lakes, especially in the coupling of sulfate reduction and nitrogen dynamics.
Keywords: cyanobacteria, denitrification, eutrophic lake, iron concentration, nitrogen dynamics, sulfate reduction, sulfate-reducing bacteria, sulfide.
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