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Temporal variations in dissolved selenium in a coastal ecosystem

Nature volume 299, pages 431–433 (1982)Cite this article

Abstract

In oceanic environments biological processes are now known to have a central role in establishing the redox state and spatial distribution of certain dissolved trace elements. Biological effects on the natural cycles of Cr, As, Se, Cd, Ni and Al are inferred from the existence of thermodynamically unfavourable species, from non-conservative vertical profiles or because trace element levels in planktonic debris are such that the subsequent regeneration of material could produce the observed profiles1–7. In cases where biological activity has been implicated as a determinant of either redox state or spatial distribution in the oceans no field investigations have yet been made into the relationships between rapid fluctuations of biological parameters and trace element levels and speciation. We now present a temporal study of the response of selenium levels and redox state to pulses of primary productivity in a coastal ecosystem. The sampling time series demonstrated selective assimilation of the lower oxidation state, selenite [Se(IV)]. Ratios of particulate selenium to particulate organic carbon (Se:C) allowed an estimation of the selenium levels in a natural phytoplankton population and the flux of selenium from surface ocean water to deep water.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. J. J. Wrench

    Present address: Department of Microbiology, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, 300 6174

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Ecology Laboratory, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, B2Y 4A2

    J. J. Wrench

  2. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA

    C. I. Measures

  3. University Boulevard, Vancouver, Canada, V6T 1W5

    J. J. Wrench

Authors
  1. J. J. Wrench
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  2. C. I. Measures
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Wrench, J., Measures, C. Temporal variations in dissolved selenium in a coastal ecosystem. Nature 299, 431–433 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/299431a0

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