Benthic microbial decomposition in the Pichavaram mangroves, India

Rates and pathways of microbial decomposition were measured in 4 stands of mangrove forest in Pichavaram, Vellar-Coleroon estuarine complex, Tamil Nadu, India.Rates of total carbon oxidation were assessed. Measurements of fluxes of total carbon oxidation (Tcox), dissolved O2, and inorganic nutrients (nitrite, nitrate, ammonium, phophate, silicate) were made across the soil-water interface.Net rates of iron and manganese reduction were estimated with a core-incubation method. Sulphate reductions were measured using core injection technique.Data variables from the sites (2 disturbed and 2 undisturbed mangrove stands) cover sample depths, the seasons (wet/monsoon and dry/post-monsoon). Pore water samples were measured for: salinity (as practical salinity units), water content, surface soil temperature, and metal concentrations (micromolar for Fe and Mn; millimolar for S). To determine any alterations in biogeochemical activity and the influence of human-induced disturbance on these.To determine rates and pathways of microbial processes to better understand the role of mangroves in global carbon and nitrogen cycling.