Disturbance impacts the spatial distribution of primary producers, which can have cascading effects on ecosystem function. The lower-intertidal zone on the rocky shores of the Pacific Northwest is one such place where wave energy creates a mosaic-like distribution between two assemblages: surfgrass (Phyllospadix scouleri) meadows and macroalgal forests dominated by kelp. We simulated wave disturbance by experimentally removing patches of surfgrass monocultures, resulting in a macroalgal assemblage with increased diversity, biomass, and net primary productivity in the following year. Although surfgrass had a higher C:N compared to macroalgal assemblages, macroalgal assemblages achieved a higher biomass, fixed carbon at a faster rate, and released more dissolved organic carbon (DOC) during photosynthesis. Thus, despite similar standing amounts of carbon, macroalgal assemblages have increased carbon turnover—from fixation to DOC release. Comparative photophysiology indicated that surfgrasses have a competitive advantage over other macrophytes at low light levels, allowing them to persist when disturbance is reduced. Unexpectedly, disturbance in this system increased the potential for carbon sequestration when surfgrass monocultures were replaced by diverse macroalgae.

中文翻译：

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替代初级生产者对碳循环的不同影响

干扰会影响初级生产者的空间分布，这会对生态系统功能产生连锁效应。太平洋西北部岩石海岸的低潮间带就是这样一个地方，在那里波浪能在两个组合之间形成马赛克状分布：冲浪草（Phyllospadix scouleri) 以海带为主的草甸和大型藻林。我们通过实验性地去除海浪草单一栽培的斑块来模拟波浪扰动，从而导致大型藻类组合在第二年具有增加的多样性、生物量和净初级生产力。尽管与大型藻类组合相比，冲浪草具有更高的 C:N，但大型藻类组合实现了更高的生物量，以更快的速度固定碳，并在光合作用期间释放了更多的溶解有机碳 (DOC)。因此，尽管碳的固定量相似，但大型藻类组合增加了碳周转——从固定到 DOC 释放。比较光生理学表明，在低光照水平下，冲浪草比其他大型植物具有竞争优势，允许它们在干扰减少时持续存在。不料，