Aspects of the biogeochemistry of carbohydrates in aquatic environments
Citable URI
https://hdl.handle.net/1912/1247DOI
10.1575/1912/1247Keyword
Aquatic ecology; Biogeochemistry; Atlantis II (Ship : 1963-) Cruise AII60; Atlantis II (Ship : 1963-) Cruise AII48; Atlantis II (Ship : 1963-) Cruise AII49; Gosnold (Ship : 1962-1973) Cruise 187Abstract
The goal of this thesis is to examine the distribution and diagenesis of carbohydrates in aquatic environments. The following questions are studied: what is the carbohydrate composition of sediment in different environments (e.g., deep-sea oxic; shallow-sea oxic; deep-sea anoxic;
fresh-water anoxic; brackish-water anoxic, etc.)? How does the environment
at the sediment-water interface affect the composition of the carbohydrate
input? How do sedimentary carbohydrates compare to plankton carbohydrates? How do metal-carbohydrate interactions and biological degradation affect the diagenesis of carbohydrates in recent sediments? Can
fossil carbohydrates be used as a means to elucidate paleo-environments?
In order to investigate these questions in a quantitative manner, a liquid chromatographic sugar analyzer sensitive to 10-10 moles was constructed.
Various extraction techniques, involving acid hydrolysis and EDTA treatment, were thoroughly examined to determine lability of sugars, sources of contamination, maximum yields, and reproducibility. Furthermore, several experiments were performed to show that sugars extracted from sediment by EDTA were originally associated with in situ metal ion organic complexes.
Although the carbohydrate compositions of sediment from different aquatic environments are remarkably similar, the degree of metal binding of carbohydrates varies between oxidizing and reducing sediments and
appears to be related to the degree of biological degradation at the sedimentwater
interface. In an oxic environment, biological degradation produces a highly metal-bound carbohydrate residue. In a reducing environment, the degree of biological activity is low (relative to oxic environments) and hence the degree of metal binding of the resulting carbohydrate residue is low. There is no evidence for further abiotic, alteration after burial in either environment.
Sewage material dumped into a shallow oxic environment is degraded rapidly despite the high content of potentially toxic metals; these metals are probably tied-up in the metal bound carbohydrate residue.
Metal binding appears to fix potentially soluble carbohydrates in situ, thereby inhibiting diffusion. This finding undercuts the previous belief that chromatographic separation of organic molecules along mineral
surfaces is a significant diagenetic process.
The relative abundances of sugars in acid extracts of sediment and plankton from different aquatic environments are similar; this similarity suggests that plankton is the main source of sedimentar carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates in sediment may be used to interpret paleo-environmental
fluctuations. For example, the degree of metal binding is indicative
of the Eh at the sediment-water interface. The glucose and ribose contents of sediment may be used to estimate relative terrigenous and marine organic inputs, respectively. Paleo-eutrophication conditions in
the surface waters also may be discerned.
Description
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution June, 1973
Collections
Suggested Citation
Thesis: Mopper, Kenneth, "Aspects of the biogeochemistry of carbohydrates in aquatic environments", 1973-06, DOI:10.1575/1912/1247, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/1247Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Station locations for Atlantis II-73, Atlantis II-77, and Knorr-42 cruises and ALVIN dive tracks in the FAMOUS area
Heirtzler, James R.; Hays, Helen C. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1977-02)Lists and positions of stations on cruises ATLANTIS II-73, ATLANTIS II-77, KNORR-42 and ALVIN dives on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge during Project FAMOUS are given. Station lists include those for camera, water temperature, ... -
Hydrographic station data : Caribbean Sea, Atlantis II cruise 78 and Knorr cruise 37
Metcalf, William G.; Stalcup, Marvel C.; Zemanovic, Marguerite E. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1974-12)During Cruise 37 of the Research Vessel KNORR,91 hydrographic stations were occupied,most of them in the general area of the Windward Passage, eastern Cayman Basin, Mona Passage and across the Caribbean Sea from Puerto ... -
Preliminary cruise report ATLANTIS II - cruise 8 : International Indian Ocean Expedition, July 5, 1963 - December 20, 1963
Miller, Arthur R.; Risebrough, Robert W. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1963)ATLANTIS II was delivered to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on January 31, 1963. After some short cruises she left Woods Hole on July 5 to participate in the International Indian Ocean Expedition, her first ...