The Effectiveness of Poisons and Preservatives on Preventing the Decomposition of Organic Matter Collected in Sediment Traps

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The proposal research will investigate the ability of commonly-used poisons and preservatives to prevent alteration and decomposition of organic matter collected in sediment traps. In-situ experiments will be conducted under conditions which represents both coastal and open ocean areas, periods of maximum high and low productivity, and oxic and anoxic environments. The experiments will test the ability of different poisons/preservations to prevent fundamental information on the relative decomposition rates of individual compounds and compound classes, specifically contrasting terrigenous and marine material in oxic and anoxic basins. Two major questions will be addressed: 1) what is the effectiveness of various poisons and preservations on the composition of organic matter collected in sediment traps; and 2) what is the extent of decomposition of preservation of the major classes of biogenic compounds? The approach of answering these questions will be to determine concentrations of organic compounds (lipids, sugars, amino acids, pigments, and lignin oxidation products) in sediment traps chloroform, salt gradient, formalin, or antibiotics. Field experiments will be Saanich Inlet, British Columbia, in oxic and anoxic waters, and at the time-series Station S off Bermuda.