Phytoplankton Dynamics and Urbanization Gradients Reshape Dissolved Organic Matter and Microbial Networks across a Freshwater Estuary

Abstract

Freshwater estuaries process contaminants, cycle nutrients, and support biodiversity. However, watershed development degrades water quality, alters organic matter (OM) composition, and reshapes microbial and phytoplankton communities. Understanding how anthropogenic land use shapes estuarine ecosystem function remains a key challenge. We evaluated relationships among benthic and pelagic biogeochemistry, algal, and microbial communities across six sites along an urbanization gradient, combining FTICRMS characterization of water and sediment OM, with 16S and 18S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of bacterial/archaeal and algal assemblages, alongside measurements of nutrients, ions, turbidity, temperature, phytoplankton biovolume, and land use. Pelagic OM and microbial variation tracked seasonal gradients and transient phytoplankton dynamics modulated by urban inputs, whereas sediments responded directly to urbanization: urban sediments were N-rich with protein, and amino-sugar-like OM, while rural sediments carried aromatic, terrestrial, plant-derived signatures. Both compartments showed non-linear responses, with microbial, algal, and OM abundances shifting abruptly across urbanization thresholds. Strong associations between sediment microbial dissimilarity and phytoplankton biovolume indicate benthic-pelagic coupling, whereby urban nutrients putatively stimulate phytoplankton growth and subsequent OM deposition restructures benthic assemblages. Thus, pelagic communities capture transient urban effects mediated by phytoplankton, whereas benthic communities integrate chronic impacts, highlighting the value of compartment-specific monitoring in estuarine ecosystems.