Macronutrient retention in Cerrado streams (SP) and its relationships with aquatic metabolism along gradients of environmental conditions: an ecosystem services' approach

• Grant number: 16/14176-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2016
• End date: September 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Environmental Sanitation
• Principal Investigator: Davi Gasparini Fernandes Cunha
• Grantee: Davi Gasparini Fernandes Cunha
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Björn Gücker ; Iola Gonçalves Boechat ; Maria do Carmo Calijuri ; Walter Kennedy Dodds
• Associated research grant(s): 17/50397-5 - Understanding the influence of land use practices and canopy cover restoration on nutrient spiraling in tropical and temperate stream ecosystems, AP.R SPRINT

Abstract

Aquatic ecosystems are responsible for key ecosystem services and provide direct and indirect benefits to the society. The nutrient retention in surface waters, which is associated to physical, chemical and biological processes, is one of their main functions and it is influenced by anthropogenic interferences. Nutrient retention has been mostly studied in temperate environments, but little is known about how the environmental characteristics of tropical systems and human impacts affect nutrient uptake kinetics. The main objective of this research is to estimate the macronutrients retention in streams located in the Cerrado savanna (São Paulo, Brazil) and correlate this process to stream ecosystem metabolism and other key aspects. In addition to the physical and chemical characteristics, we will estimate nitrate, ammonium and phosphate retention rates in different reaches of five streams, characterized by gradients in environmental conditions to test hypotheses related to land impacts on stream nutrient retention. These data will be related to metabolism estimates (respiration, gross and net primary production), which will be modeled using stream in situ dissolved oxygen variation. We will also investigate the composition of stream biofilms through biochemical indicators and elemental analysis to determine the role of microrganisms in nitrogen and phosphorus retention. In addition to technological advance, through the use of methodologies not commonly applied in tropical environments (e.g, Trace Addition for Spiraling Curve Characterization), we expect that the results will contribute to different areas of knowledge (Engineering, Biology and Environmental Management). This will be achieved through the identification of the most important drivers of the role of the streams are sinks or sources of macronutrients. The research team is comprised of members from the University of São Paulo, Federal University of São João del-Rei and Kansas State University. At least five graduate students (masters and doctorate) and two undergraduate students will perform their thesis studies in this project. In addition to promoting international collaboration, as the project involves a North-American institution, papers will be published in peer-reviewed journals. (AU)

Scientific publications

(7)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FINKLER, NICOLAS REINALDO; TROMBONI, FLAVIA; BOECHAT, IOLA GONCALVES; GUCKER, BJORN; FERNANDES CUNHA, DAVI GASPARINI. Nitrogen and Phosphorus Uptake Dynamics in Tropical Cerrado Woodland Streams. WATER, v. 10, n. 8, AUG 2018. (16/14176-1)

FERNANDES CUNHA, DAVI GASPARINI; FINKLER, NICOLAS REINALDO; GOMEZ, NORA; COCHERO, JOAQUIN; DONADELLI, JORGE LUIS; SALTARELLI, WESLEY APARECIDO; CALIJURI, MARIA DO CARMO; POLI MIWA, ADRIANA CRISTINA; TROMBONI, FLAVIA; DODDS, WALTER K.; et al. Agriculture influences ammonium and soluble reactive phosphorus retention in South American headwater streams. ECOHYDROLOGY, v. 13, n. 2, DEC 2019. (16/14176-1, 18/13171-1, 17/50397-5, 17/18519-3)

FERNANDES CUNHA, DAVI GASPARINI; DODDS, WALTER KENNEDY; LOISELLEC, STEVEN ARTHUR. Factors related to water quality and thresholds for microcystin concentrations in subtropical Brazilian reservoirs. INLAND WATERS, v. 8, n. 3, p. 368-380, 2018. (14/02088-5, 16/14176-1)

SALTARELLI, WESLEY A.; DODDS, WALTER K.; TROMBONI, FLAVIA; CALIJURI, MARIA DO CARMO; NERES-LIMA, VINICIUS; JORDAO, CARLOS E.; PALHARES, JULIO C. F.; CUNHA, DAVI G. F.. Variation of stream metabolism along a tropical environmental gradient. JOURNAL OF LIMNOLOGY, v. 77, n. 3, p. 359-371, 2018. (16/14176-1)

DE SOUZA FERREIRA, MURILO; DE CAMPOS JORDAO, CARLOS EDUARDO KOLB MAYNARDES ARAUJO; DE SOUZA INACIO GONCALVES, JULIO CESAR; DODDS, WALTER KENNEDY; CUNHA, DAVI GASPARINI FERNANDES. Surface Reaeration in Tropical Headwater Streams: the Dissolution Rate of a Soluble Floating Probe as a New Variable for Reaeration Coefficient Prediction. WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION, v. 231, n. 2, JAN 25 2020. (16/14176-1)

FERNANDES CUNHA, DAVI GASPARINI; FAUSTINO MAGRI, ROMULO AMARAL; TROMBONI, FLAVIA; LIMA RANIERI, VICTOR EDUARDO; FENDRICH, ARTHUR NICOLAUS; BARRIOS CAMPANHAO, LIGIA MARIA; RIVEROS, ELSA VALIENTE; ALVARADO VELAZQUEZ, JANNICE. Landscape patterns influence nutrient concentrations in aquatic systems: citizen science data from Brazil and Mexico. FRESHWATER SCIENCE, v. 38, n. 2, p. 365-378, JUN 1 2019. (16/14176-1)

FERNANDES CUNHA, DAVI GASPARINI; FINKLER, NICOLAS REINALDO; CALIJURI, MARIA DO CARMO; COVINO, TIMOTHY P.; TROMBONI, FLAVIA; DODDS, WALTER K.. Nutrient uptake in a simplified stream channel: Experimental manipulation of hydraulic residence time and transient storage. ECOHYDROLOGY, v. 11, n. 7, OCT 2018. (16/14176-1)