Data investigating hydrogen peroxide fluxes and fate in a temperate seagrass ecosystem

Seagrass ecosystems rank among the most productive marine environments on the planet, hosting high cycling rates of a range of globally relevant elemental cycles. While the cycling of reactive oxygen species (ROS) may have important links with other redox-related biogeochemical cycles (i.e. trace metals, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen), the dynamics of ROS in seagrass ecosystems are poorly characterized. To assess the flux, decay rate, and fate of ROS, this study quantified rates of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production and decay through in situ incubations of seawater, algae (Polysiphonia sp.), and seagrass (Zostera marina) from a seagrass meadow near Woods Hole, MA, USA. Incubations of Polysiphonia and Zostera indicated average daytime net primary production values ranging from 12.6 to 137.4 µmol g dry wt-1 h-1. By comparison, hydrogen peroxide dynamics were much more variable with fluxes ranging from -272 to 150 nmol g dry wt-1 h-1, net production rates ranging from -2,212 to 38,000 nmol g dry wt-1 h-1 and decay rate constants ranging from 0.314 to 9.09 h-1. These results suggest seagrass meadows contribute to rapid and dynamic turnover of ROS. In separate incubations, tracing of isotopically labeled hydrogen peroxide (H217O2) indicated that hydrogen peroxide decay was predominantly regulated by peroxidase-like activity, suggesting that hydrogen peroxide serves primarily as an oxidant of currently unknown reduced substrates. This study documents the rapid cycling and reductive decay pathways of hydrogen peroxide within seagrass ecosystems, laying the foundation for future studies of ROS cycling dynamics in these and other related shallow marine ecosystems.

Disciplines

Environment, Chemical oceanography

Keywords

Hydrogen Peroxide, Seagrass, Redox, Biogeochemistry, Reactive Oxygen Species

Location

41.514452N, 41.514126S, -70.703137E, -70.704325W

Devices

For complete methods, please see "Hydrogen peroxide fluxes and fate in a temperate seagrass ecosystem" manuscript by Grabb et al.

In brief, in-situ incubations were conducted in seagrass beds on the eastern side of Uncatena Island (41.517426˚ N, 70.701574˚ W), located southwest of Woods Hole, MA, USA. Three sampling campaigns were conducted in 2021 capturing the beginning, middle, and end of the summer season (June, July, and September). During each campaign, incubations for measuring O2 (FireSting GO2 field oxygen meter (PyroScience GmbH)) and H2O2 concentrations (POHPPA (4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid) technique and associated protocols (Miller et al. 2005, Shaked & Armoza-Zvuloni 2013, Sutherland et al. 2021)) and fluxes were conducted over one day (for rate measurements) and incubations for measuring hydrogen peroxide decay pathways (using 17O tracer) were conducted over an additional one to two days (Moffett & Zafiriou 1990, Sutherland et al. 2021). All daytime incubations started at 0900 and were sampled over a ~5-hour period to capture photosynthetic activity at the onset and into peak irradiance. The total incubation duration was kept to ~5 hours to minimize bottle effects. Following the daytime incubations during the September sampling event, additional incubations were also conducted after sunset, starting at 1900 and sampled over ~4 hours. Due to constraints in accessing the site via boat, weather conditions, and limitations in time and personnel, evening sampling was restricted to September.

Data

FileSizeFormatProcessingAccessend of embargo
Data associated with "Hydrogen peroxide fluxes and fate in a temperate seagrass ecosystem" manuscript by Grabb et al.
46 KoXLS, XLSXProcessed data 2025-01-01
How to cite
Grabb Kalina C., Wankel Scott D., Sutherland Kevin M., Bowman Samuel H., Long Matthew H., Hansel Colleen M. (2024). Data investigating hydrogen peroxide fluxes and fate in a temperate seagrass ecosystem. SEANOE. https://doi.org/10.17882/100247

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