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Production and uptake of dissolved carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in overlying water of aquaculture shrimp ponds in subtropical estuaries, China

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Abstract

Water quality deterioration can adversely affect the long-term sustainability of aquaculture industry. Understanding the processes of nutrient regeneration and uptake is important for improving water quality and the overall ecosystem health of aquaculture system. In spite of the importance of dissolved nutrients (DOC, DIC, N-NOx, N-NH4+, and P-PO43−) in governing water quality and ecosystem functioning, the spatiotemporal variations in the production and uptake of dissolved nutrients in aquaculture ponds is still poorly understood. In this study, the nutrient production and uptake rates in the overlying water were quantified among different shrimp growth stages in the aquaculture ponds in the Min River Estuary (MRE) and Jiulong River Estuary (JRE), southeast China. Significant differences in the nutrient production and uptake rates in the overlying water were observed among the three growth stages and two estuaries. The temporal variations of DOC and DIC production rates in both estuarine ponds closely followed the seasonal cycle of temperature, while the difference in DOC and DIC production rates between the two estuaries was likely caused by differences in water salinity. The changes in the production and uptake rates of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (N-NOx and N-NH4+) and P-PO43− in the water column over time were partly related to the interactions between thermal conditions and phytoplankton biomass (e.g., chlorophyll a concentrations) in the ponds. Our results demonstrate the complex dynamics and environmental risk of dissolved nutrients in subtropical shrimp ponds, and call for a more effective management of nutrient-laden wastewater in safeguarding the long-term sustainability of aquaculture production.

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Abbreviations

MRE:

Min River Estuary

JRE:

Jiulong River Estuary

L. vannamei :

Litopenaeus vannamei

Mt:

Metric tons

N-NO2 :

Nitrite

N-NO3 :

Nitrate

N-NH4 + :

Ammonium

P-PO4 3− :

Phosphate

DOC_prod :

DOC production rates in the overlying water

DIC_prod :

DIC production rates in the overlying water

DOC:

Dissolved organic carbon

DIC:

Dissolved inorganic carbon

Chl-a :

Chlorophyll a

DO:

Dissolved oxygen

DOM:

Dissolved organic matter

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Lishan Tan, Weining Du, and Jingyu Zhang of the School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, for their field assistance. We sincerely thank the reviewers and editor for their valuable comments.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (No. 41801070, 41671088), the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (CUHK458913, 14302014, 14305515), the CUHK Direct Grant (SS15481), Open fund by Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (KHK1806), A Project Funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD), and Minjiang Scholar Programme.

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Correspondence to Ping Yang or Chuan Tong.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Highlights

• Dissolved nutrients vary markedly between estuaries and among shrimp growth stages

• Shrimp ponds are “hotspots” of DOC and DIC production in subtropical estuaries of China

• P could become a limiting nutrient of phytoplankton growth in the shrimp ponds

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Yang, P., Yang, H., Lai, D.Y.F. et al. Production and uptake of dissolved carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in overlying water of aquaculture shrimp ponds in subtropical estuaries, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 21565–21578 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05445-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05445-y

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