Trees in the Stream: Determining Patterns of Terrestrial Dissolved Organic Matter Contributions to the Northeast Pacific Coastal Temperate Rainforest

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition in small watersheds depends on complex antecedent conditions that ultimately influence DOM generation, processing, and stability downstream. Here, we used ultrahigh resolution Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and total dissolved nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon concentrations to investigate how DOM is produced in distinct sub-catchment types (poor fen, forested wetland, and upland forest) and transported through a watershed in the northeast Pacific coastal temperate rainforest (NPCTR). We traced a suite of previously identified source-specific marker formulae from vegetation and soil downstream and used them to test models of terrestrial DOM inputs. Marker formulae escaped microbial degradation and were exported from the watershed, demonstrating strong land-to-ocean connectivity through the transfer of unmodified tree DOM from specific tree species into the marine environment. Simple hydrologic and temperature variables were better able to predict inputs of soil-sourced DOM into the stream network than tree-sourced DOM, highlighting the role of antecedent conditions (e.g., plant growth stage) in DOM source availability and hydrologic flow connectivity, particularly for plant-derived material. Forested wetland pore waters featured thousands of nitrogen-containing molecular formulae that potentially provide a path of direct organic nitrogen uptake to organisms. The modified aromaticity index peaked in midsummer (up to 0.55 for fen headwaters) suggesting DOM inputs from freshly produced vegetation provide a strong summertime terrestrial signal. As the climate changes, new watershed-scale conditions may further complicate predictions of DOM source availability, flow connectivity, and downstream fate in NPCTR watersheds.

Automated summary

This study used advanced technology to investigate the production and transport of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in small watersheds in the northeast Pacific coastal temperate rainforest. The results showed that DOM generation is influenced by vegetation and soil, and can be transported from land to the ocean. Hydrologic and temperature variables were better predictors of DOM inputs from soil sources, while antecedent conditions played a role in the availability of DOM from vegetation sources. The study also found that wetlands contribute nitrogen-containing molecular formulae to DOM and that climate change may affect DOM sources, transport, and fate in these watersheds.