New paper on DOC and denitrification by Megan Fork

Megan Fork's paper on DOC and denitrification, published in Ecosystems, is now available online.  This work, which comes from Megan's MS thesis, uses a natural gradient in dissolved organic matter (DOC) concentration to understand how terrestrially-derived DOC influences aquatic denitrification.  We found that this DOC does not directly stimulate or inhibit denitrification, but that denitrification becomes more limited by DOC as DOC concentrations increase.  The explanation for this counter-intuitive finding is that DOC reduces light, and therefore the release of labile DOC by macrophytes and algae.  This paper provides additional evidence for the importance of in-stream primary production for denitrification in larger rivers, and has implications for how aquatic ecosystems may respond to future changes in DOC.  Read the whole thing here, and congratulations Megan!