Effect of sediment composition on methane concentration and production in the transition zone of a mangrove (Sepetiba Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).

ABSTRACT

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of sediment composition on methane (CH4) dynamics in sediments of different areas in the transition zone between a mangrove and the sea. This research was conducted in a mangrove at Coroa Grande, on the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro. Samples were collected at three stations (1) region colonised by Rhizophora mangle L. on the edge of the mangrove, (2) region colonised by seagrasses and (3) infra-littoral region without vegetation. Samples were collected from the surface layer of the sediment to determine the concentrations of nutrients (C, N and P) and CH4 concentration and production. We observed that concentrations of CH4 and carbon (C) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in station 1 than station 3. The molar ratios (CN, CP and NP) suggest that the origin of the substrate is mainly autochthonous. Methanogenesis was initially low, possibly due to competition between methanogens and sulfate reducers, and increased significantly (p < 0.05) on the twenty-sixth day in the sediment of station 1, probably due to higher organic matter (OM) availability in this region. Results indicate that methanogenic activity observed herein is not regulated by the amount or quality of OM, but by other factors. The concentration of CH4 in the sea-land ecotone at Mangrove Coroa Grande is a function of available OM suggesting a possible inhibition of methanotrophy by intense oxygen consumption in the soil surface covered by detritus of Rhizophora mangle vegetation.