2nd UF Water Institute Symposium Abstract

   
Submitter's Name Stephen Shivers
Session Name Poster Session: Hydrologic, Biogeochemical and Ecological Processes 1
Category Hydrologic, biogeochemical and ecological processes
Poster Number 241
 
Author(s) Stephen Shivers,  Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center
  Stephen Opsahl,  Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center
  Alan Covich, University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology
   
  The Impact of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation on Carbon Dynamics and DOC Bioavailability in a Southeastern Reservoir
   
  Although inland freshwater ecosystems comprise a small proportion of the Earth, they make significant contributions to the global carbon cycle. Inland waters contribute carbon to the atmosphere in the form of CO2 and methane, and can store carbon through burial in the sediment. With an estimated global surface area of 1.5 million km2, reservoirs could potentially play a crucial role in the biogeochemical cycling of carbon. The inputs of carbon to reservoirs are not only from riverine sources and atmospheric sources, but also from submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) within the reservoir. SAV influences reservoir biogeochemical cycling by changing physical and chemical parameters of water quality, such as DO, pH, nutrients, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Additionally, bioavailability to consumers differs greatly between sources. We performed diurnal (24 hour) sampling within a dense stand of Hydrilla verticillata on Lake Seminole in order to study these changes. During the peak growing season, DO was supersaturated (>15 mg/L) near the surface and anoxic (