NOx UPTAKE BY MANGROVE PLANTS AND ITS EFFECT ON MANGROVE DNA BASE HETEROGENEITY

AOGS-AGU (WPGM) JOINT ASSEMBLY,2012

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, SINGAPORE 13-17TH AUGUST,2012

NOx Uptake by Mangrove Plants and Its Effect on Mangrove DNA Base Heterogeneity
Natasha MAJUMDER^1#+, Tapan Kumar JANA^1
1University of Calcutta, India
^#Corresponding author: natasha.majumder@gmail.com ⁺Presenter

Mangroves can use atmospheric NO_x as a source of nitrogen under soil nitrogen source constrain. In the atmosphere over Sundarban mangrove, progressive decrease of NOx was observed from a maximum of 4.34 ± 1.49 ppbv in January to a minimum of 1.57 ± 0.19 ppbv at 10 m in the month of September. During the period of September to February, the biosphere atmosphere NOx exchange rates of -0.84 to -1.63 ng N m^-2 s^-1 in the day and -0.36 to 5.19 ng N m^-2 s^-1 in the night were observed. However, during the period of March to August, the ecosystem showed NOx emission without any uptake and ranged from 0.34 to 2.13 ng N m^-2 s^-1 in the day and from 0.88 to 3.26 ng N m^-2 s^-1 in the night. The mean DNA concentrations in mangrove plant leaves were found to be 32.57 ± 6.12 mg g ^-1with 0.22 - 0.25 µg µg^-1DNA nitrogen in leaf DNA. in January during the max uptake of NOx, while 0.16 - 0.20 µg µg^-1DNA nitrogen in September when mangrove exhibited  minimum uptake of NO x from the atmosphere. The percentage of G-C base pairs in leaves (58.42-64.38%) was found greater than the percentage of A-T-base pairs (35.58-41.57%) which indicate the presence of N rich nucleotides. Statistical analysis revealed significant correlation between leaf protein and independent variables (TIN, NOx flux) tested (R = 0.92, p = 0.016) with 85.2% explained variability. Which supports the hypothesis that the leaf stomata can contribute to the atmospheric NOx uptake and its can shape the DNA base composition of the mangrove leaves.

IMPLICATION OF ORGANIC MATTER ON ARSENIC AND ANTIMONY SEQUESTRATION IN SEDIMENT:EVIDENCE FROM SUNDARBAN MANGROVE FOREST,INDIA

AOGS-AGU (WPGM) JOINT ASSEMBLY,2012

International Conference,Singapore 13-17th August 2012.

Implication of Organic Matter on Arsenic and Antimony Sequestration in Sediment: Evidence from Sundarban Mangrove Forest, India
Sanjay Kumar MANDAL^1#+, Tapan Kumar JANA^1
1University of Calcutta, India
^#Corresponding author: mandal.sanjaykumar@gmail.com ⁺Presenter

This study reports the measurement of stability constant for the interaction of As (V and III) and Sb (V and III) with humic substances extracted from Sundarban mangrove sediment, India. It was observed that As & Sb formed a more stable association with fulvic acid (FA) than its counterpart humic acid (HA), but the difference of stability with respect to oxidation state of As and Sb were less prominent. Quenching of fluorescence at increasing As (III & V) / Sb (III & V): FA /HA ratio was obtained that ideally correspond to one type of binding site (1:1 complexation model). Quite strong complexation of As & Sb (logarithm of the conditional stability constant between 5.13-5.68) by FA & HA occurs at neutral pH (7) indicating that HA & FA probably affect markedly the mobility of As & Sb in the mangrove environment. The sediment is silty clay loam type with 5.93% clay. FA and HA show excitation at 313 and 392 nm with the occurrence of maximum emission at 425 and 484 nm, respectively. This suggests that humification results in the shifting of λ_em (emission max.) towards longer wavelength (lower energy), which can be related to an increase aromatic condensation. The synchronous fluorescence spectra (SyF) of HA and FA are observed for FA at 346, 386 and 420nm and those for HA at 347, 394, 425 and 445nm.

CARBON SEQUESTRATION BY MANGROVE FOREST: ONE APPROACH FOR MANAGING CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSION FROM THERMAL POWER PLANTS

AOGS-AGU (WPGM) JOINT ASSEMBLY,2012

International Conference, Singapore,13-17th August 2012.

Carbon Sequestration by Mangrove Forest: One Approach For Managing Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Thermal Power Plants

Raghab RAY^1#+, Tapan Kumar JANA^1
1University of Calcutta, India
^#Corresponding author: raghab.ray@gmail.com ⁺Presenter

In the past decade, anthropogenic emissions of CO₂, primarily as a result of fossil fuel burning, increased at a rate of 3.4% per year and fossil fuel combustion as well as cement industry contribute 7.7 ± 0.5 giga ton of carbon annually to the atmosphere. Tropical forests processes about six times as much carbon as the anthropogenic emission. Mangrove forest accounts 2.4% of tropical forest and in the coastal area it could be one of the possible sink for the anthropogenic carbon dioxide. In this study total amount of coal converted to carbon dioxide by a thermal power plant near the northeast coast of India has been considered and it was found that 2.83 million ton of carbon is added to the atmosphere for the generation of 7469732 MW annually. Indian Sundarban mangrove forest (4264 km²) stores 0.41% of the total carbon storage in the Indian forest (6621 million tone carbon) and uptakes 2.79 million ton carbon annually which is 0.55 % of the annual fossil fuel emission (504.6 million ton carbon per annum) from India. Based on this study, about 4328 km² forest coverage is needed to sequester all carbon dioxide emitted from the thermal power plants. This study would help in great extent for future planning of aforestation program and management of the mangrove forest in the perspective of the use of forest for neutralizing anthropogenic CO₂ emitted during the course of development of Industries in and around Indian coast.

STIMULATION OF ESTUARINE BIOLOGICAL PUMP FOR CO2 USING GIBBERELIC ACID

AOGS-AGU (WPGM) JOINT ASSEMBLY,2012

International conference, Singapore,13-17th August 2012.

Stimulation of Estuarine Biological Pump for CO2 Using Gibberelic Acid

Chumki CHOWDHURY^1#+, Tapan Kumar JANA^1
1University of Calcutta, India
^#Corresponding author: chowdhurychumki@gmail.com ⁺Presenter

An estuary can be a source for CO₂ when heterotrophic production predominates over phytoplankton production, resulting significant change of regional atmosphere composition with respect to carbon dioxide. For example, flux of carbon dioxide from the Mahanadi estuary to the atmosphere was found to be 52.87- 2472.16 µM.m^-2.h^-1 which is greater than that of Saptamukhi estuary (4.7-810.62 µM.m^-2.h^-1). Both the estuaries show heterotrophism and act as source for CO2. However, in case of excess nutrient input cultural eutrophication could transfom an estuary as a sink for CO₂. But the effect of nutrients on phytoplankton production could soon reach saturation level at low concentration, For example half saturation concentration for inorganic nitrogen and phosphorous are 2.0-10 μM and 0.02-0.5 μM, respectively. Therefore estuaries can act as a sink for CO₂ for limited period of time.  To find an alternative process to gear up the biological pump could be a noble approach. This study reports the removal of excess CO₂ from medium by mixed culture of phytoplankton collected from Saptamukhi estuaruy and exposed to plant growth stimulator gibberelic acid other than nutrients. The increased growth of phytoplankton further resulted into the uptake of bicarbonate and carbonate ions from the system. Gibberelic acid promoted the growth of phytoplankton upto 33% in the culture while the culture without gibberelic acid control culture showed maximum no of cell increase of 24% and 21% respectively. Cultures added with gibberelic acid showed greater uptake of bicarbonate and carbonate ions from culture than the culture without gibberelic acid and the control.

Aerosol, Sundarbans: Fine mode aerosol chemistry over a tropical urban atmosphere: characterization of ionic and carbonaceous species, A. Chatterjee & C. Dutta & T. K. Jana & S. Sen, J Atmos Chem DOI 10.1007/s10874-012-9231-8, 2012. An extensive aerosol sampling program was conducted during January-December 2006 over Kolkata (22º33′ N and 88º20′ E), a mega-city in eastern India in order to understand the sources, distributions and properties of atmospheric fine mode aerosol (PM2.5). The primary focus of this study is to determine the relative contribution of natural and anthropogenic as well as local and transported components to the total fine mode aerosol loading and their seasonal distributions over the metropolis. The average concentrations of fine mode aerosol was found to be 71.2±25.2 μgm-3 varying between 34.5 μgm-3 in monsoon and 112.6 μgm-3 in winter. The formation pathways of major secondary aerosol components like nitrate and sulphate in different seasons are discussed. A long range transport of dust aerosol from arid and semiarid regions of western India and beyond was observed during pre-monsoon which significantly enriched the total aerosol concentration. Vehicular emissions, biomass burning and transported dust particles were the major sources of PM2.5 from local and continental regions whereas seasalt aerosol was the major source of PM2.5 from marine source regions.

FORAMINIFERAL ASSEMBLEDGE IN SUNDARBAN MANGROVE ECOSYSTEM

Wetlands
DOI 10.1007/s13157-012-0312-x

Intra-Annual Variation of Modern ForaminiferalAssemblage in a Tropical Mangrove Ecosystem in India

 Mitali Dey & Dipnarayan Ganguly &Chumki Chowdhury & Natasha Majumder & Tapan Kumar Jana

Abstract This study relates the abundance of foraminifera with the fluctuations in hydrobiological characteristics gener- ated by the monsoonal cycle in a tropical mangrove ecosys-tem. Monthly variation of physicochemical properties of water and sediment, phytoplankton production, foraminifera assemblages were measured in the littoral zone of the Sundar- bans mangrove forest. Intra-annual variation of foraminifera exhibited a maximum abundance during the post-monsoon period and out of the 25 genera, numbers of calcareous and agglutinated forms were 16 and 9, respectively. Live benthic foraminifera were found to inhabit a wide range of sedimen depths and inhabiting a high energy environment their abun- dance was not restricted to the uppermost centimeter. Owing to mechanical damage (due to high energy system), chemical dissolution and intense bioturbation, the taphonomic process- es in this mangrove swamp could result in the destruction of the small size fraction of foraminifera, including agglutinatedtests. The low numbers of agglutinated foram could be due to silty clay substrate. Abundance of more calcareous dead specimens over live ones could be attributed to predation and transportation of dead marine species.Most of the marine species could not survive in this freshwater dominated system.Anthropogenic nutrient input and diatombloomin association with enhanced food to benthos are important controlling fac- tors on foraminiferal abundance and composition. 

Keywords:  Intertidal foraminifera . Phytoplankton . Mangrove . Indian Sundarban

CARBON SEQUESTRATION IN SUNDARBAN MANGROVE ECOSYSTEM

Carbohydrate Polymers , Elsevier                                                                               

Doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2012.05.001

Wood chemistry & density: an analog for response to the change of carbon sequestration in mangroves

• R. Ray,
• N. Majumdar,
• C.Chowdhury,
• T.K. Jana

• Department of Marine Science, University of Calcutta, 35, B. C. Road, Kolkata-700019, India

• Received 21 February 2012. Revised 2 April 2012. Accepted 1 May 2012. Available online 8 May 2012.

---

Abstract

This study aimed to resolve the variations of physical and chemical properties of wood records measured in different mangroves with their annual carbon sequestration. The methods of investigation used were to examine growth rate by monitoring breast height diameter, wood chemistry and density, FTIR spectroscopy and thermogravimetry. Carbon sequestration rate showing an increase with density varied between 0.088 and 0.171 μg C kg⁻¹ (AGB) s⁻¹, and Avicennia marina showed the maximum value and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, the minimum. The changes in FTIR bands at 4000-2500 cm⁻¹ and 1700-800 cm⁻¹ were correlated to the variations in cellulose in mangrove woods and lignin to cellulose ratio ranged between 0.21 and 1.75. Thermal analyses of mangrove wood suggested that the fuel value index (985-3922) exhibited an increase with the decrease in maximum decomposition temperature and density. The seasonal variation of temperature and CO₂ were likely to affect chemical properties through changes in wood density.

---

Highlights

► This study aimed to resolve the variations of wood properties and carbon stock. ► FTIR suggested lignin to cellulose ratio ranged b/w 0.32 & 1.72 in mangrove woods. ► Wood density increased with increase in cellulose & decrease in lignin. ► Mangrove showed an increase in C stock with increase wood density. ► FVI of mangroves exhibited an increase with decrease in T_m & increase in density. ► Primary energy can be derived from mangrove wood.

PHYTOPLANKTON AND ZOOPLANKTON PREY PREDATOR RELATIOSHIP IN SUNDARBAN MANGROVE ECOSYSYTEM

Biodiversity and conservation,Springer


DOI 10.1007/s10531-012-0295-1

Inter-annual abundance variation in some genera of diatom and zooplankton in a mangrove 

ecosystem

 Chumki Chowdhury • Natasha Majumder • Raghab Ray •

 Tapan Kumar Jana

This study presents data for the abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton and related habitat parameters for Lothian Island mangrove ecosystem located at the coastal boundary of the Ganges River delta. Over the 3 study years, total abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton was lowest during the monsoon period. In 2008, the most common diatom genera (by % relative abundance) were Skeletonema cf. costatum (14.2), Thalassiothrix (9.36), Nitzschia sigma (8.16), Coscinodiscus radiatus (7.65), Chaetoceros (6.64), Pleurosigma (3.05), Thalassionema (1.77), Dytilum brightweli (1.71), and Cyclo- tella (1.0), whereas in 2010 they were Skeletonema cf. costatum (41.7), Chaetoceros(11.1), Thalassiothrix (6.04), Nitzschia sigma (4.49), Coscinodiscus radiatus (3.96),Cyclotella (2.61), Thalassionema (2.11), Pleurosigma (1.22) and, Dytilum brightwellii(1.01). Relative abundance of the zooplankton size classes typically followed the order meso[micro[macro and Copepods were the most abundant taxa (54.6 % of total zooplankton abundance). Total abundance of both phyto and zooplankton almost doubled in 2010 relative to 2008 although the ratio of the two remained constant (Zooplankton: phytoplankton = 0.002). The N:P ratio of water did not change much over the study anddid not seem to be responsible for phytoplankton abundance changes; rather interannualvariations in phytoplankton abundance could be explained by a simple predator–prey- relationship with zooplankton.

PHYTOPLANKTON AND COMMUNITY METABOLISM , NUTRIENT BUDGET IN MAHANADI ESTUARY

Marine Ecology, Wiley


doi:10.1111/j.1439-0485.2012.00519.x

Comparison of Monsoonal change of water quality parameters between 1983 and 2008 in a tropical estuary in Northeastern India: role of phytoplankton and community metabolism

Mitali Dey, Chumki Chowdhury, Asim A. Pattnaik, Dipnarayan Ganguly, Sandip K. Mukhopadhyay, Tarun K. De & Tapan K. Jana.

Ongoing climate change and anthropogenic activities are introducing stressors that affect the structure and function of coastal ecosystems. This paper focuses on the fluvial fluxes and estuarine transport of nutrients from a tropical river (Mahanadi River) in Northeastern India and compares select nutrient and water quality parameters between 1983 and 2008. This estuary acts as a peren- nial source of CO2 with a net annual flux to the atmosphere of about 135 tons. The non-conservative fluxes showed a net annual removal of 650 and 140 tons of phosphorus and nitrogen from the water column, respectively. Negative bio- geochemical feedbacks that decreased the availability of N and P in 2008 rela- tive to 1983 levels indicate major changes in biogeochemical responses towards fluvial fluxes of nutrient.