Phosphorous and Nitrogen Limitations

8/16/2019 Phosphorous and Nitrogen Limitations

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reservoir, primarily because its velocity reduces: sediments, nutrients and other

material carried in the faster-owing water settle out in the basin, undergoing

sedimentation (Ford, 1990! "s result, water accumulating huge amounts of

nutrients from natural environments is often called eutrophic! #ompared to natural

la$es, reservoirs tend to be more inuenced by nutrients and other substances

transported from the surrounding land! %a$es and reservoirs also di&er in the

amount of phytoplan$ton and a'uatic plants (primary production that can be

supported! levated levels of nitrogen and phosphorous from agricultural runo&,

and also from fertili)ers, liberate the phosphorous and nitrogen limitations that

phytoplan$ton e*perience and lead to an algal bloom or eutrophication! +hese

blooms might stimulate bacterial growth and reduce dissolved o*ygen levels in

la$es, which ma$es a'uatic life miserable! "ccordingly, the two most noticeable

mar$ers of heavy nutrient loading in la$es are an e*cessive plant growth

(eutrophication and a decreased concentration of dissolved o*ygen! owever, it is

a very slow and natural process it could be signi.cantly accelerated by human

activities that increase the ow of nutrient input in a water body!

/resently, eutrophication is one of the main factors causing rapid growth of

micro-organisms and turbid waters in onghu %a$e, #hina (e et al!, 00!

*cessive growth of icchornia crassipes and "lternanthera phelo*irodes has

been noted in the shallow, eutrophic onghu %a$e! +he blooming in terms of

biomass and height of the species was noted in the month of 2ovember in 1993

and 1994! "lternanthera phelo*irodes showed the beginning of a bloom in

5eptember and ! crassipes in 6ctober (%iu et al!, 007! +aihu %a$e (#hina, is

under threat from eutrophication due to the e*cessive amount of nutrients it

receives from local industries and agricultural activities! owever, 8eiliang ay

is the maor eutrophic area of this la$e! +he chemical o*ygen demand was 7!3;

mg


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@u*i (@eimin et al!, 199=!

#ompared to natural la$es, reservoirs tend to be more inuenced by nutrients

and other substances transported from the surrounding land! %a$es and reservoirs

also di&er in the amount of phytoplan$ton and a'uatic plants (primary production

that can also be supported! An eveloping utrophication 5tandards (5 for

%a$es and Beservoirs, the 2orth "merican %a$e 8anagement 5ociety (199

states, CFor the purposes of this document, perhaps the most important distinction

between rivers, reservoirs and la$es is that of algal abundance per unit of

phosphorusD (p! 9! #an.eld and achman (1941 observed data from more than

=00 natural la$es and reservoirs and compared their nutrient and response

parameters! +hey found that reservoirs usually have substantially lower

chlorophyll levels than natural la$es in the same phosphorus concentrations

(5Eballe and immel, 194=! #oo$e and #arlson (1949 reported mean

chlorophyll-a values of 17!0 g


3/21

potassium! +hese nutrients, when discharged into water bodies, promote

phytoplan$ton (microscopic plants or algae growth! /hytoplan$ton is primary

producer, signifying the base of the food chain in all a'uatic environments! +he

)ooplan$ton feed upon phytoplan$ton, and small .sh feed upon )ooplan$ton! +he

smaller .sh are consumed by large carnivorous .sh! +he growth of phytoplan$ton,

or the primary productivity, is the .rst step in the food chain of a la$e! +he e*tent

of algal production indicates to a certain degree the productive capacity of a la$e!

owever, there are limits beyond which algal growth becomes detrimental to

other a'uatic life (Beutter, 1949!

2utrients are necessary for all living cells however, phosphorus is an important

component of adenosine triphosphate, adenosine diphosphate, nicotinamide

adenosine dinucleotide phosphate, nucleic acids, and phospholipids in cell

membranes! /hosphorus may be stored in intracellular volutin granules as

polyphosphates in both pro$aryotes and eu$aryotes! At is a limiting nutrient for

algal growth in la$es and reservoirs! /hosphorus enters all water bodies

continuously in runo& water and inlet streams! /hosphorus is also regularly lost

from the water bodies through outlet streams and by assimilation into the

sediments


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/hosphorus in sediment may be released bac$ into the system through chemical

reactions e!g!, at p values above 4, phosphate may disassociate from its particle

7

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

and become soluble in water! ottom-feeding .sh and organisms that inhabit the

bottom sediments such as worms and other a'uatic organisms can also disturb the

sediment, releasing phosphorus bac$ into the water column! /hosphorus is

released from la$es and reservoirs through the outow to downstream waters

(utchinson, 19>= rLnmar$ and ansson, 00>!

%i$e phosphorus, 2itrogen (2 is also an essential nutrient for living organisms!

At may come from natural sources, such as the decomposition of plants and

animals, waste products from a'uatic life within the water, urine and feces of

wildlife in the catchments, or (in generally small amounts mineral dissolution of

roc$s! 2itrogen also can enter la$es and reservoirs and is often of direct human

origin (such as discharges from sewage treatment plants or leachate from septic

systems or is related to human activities (such as waste from poultry and

livestoc$ facilities, runo& of fertili)ers, or nitrous o*ides from fuel combustion!

2itrogen can be transported to la$es and reservoirs through atmospheric

deposition (precipitation on the la$e surface, runo&, or groundwater (utchinson,

19>= @et)el, 001!

Marious chemical constituents of wild waters are thought to be an important

factor in regulating the abundance, composition and geographical distribution of

phytoplan$ton! "lthough phosphorus is mainly considered as the limiting nutrient

for phytoplan$ton growth in every water system, the conse'uence of atmospheric

nitrogen and its maor role in the acidi.cation of water can also be detrimental!

"mong nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon, nitrogen is usually considered as the

primary limiting nutrient for the accumulation of phytoplan$ton diversity

(Babalais et al!, 00! 2itrogen is also an important component of chlorophyll,

the green pigment that ma$es photosynthesis possible! At may limit phytoplan$ton


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production in temperate eutrophic waters, especially when phosphate

concentrations are high (when nitrogen


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blooms might stimulate bacterial growth and reduce dissolved o*ygen levels inla$es, which ma$es a'uatic life miserable! "ccordingly, the two most noticeablemar$ers of heavy nutrient loading in la$es are an e*cessive plant growth(eutrophication and a decreased concentration of dissolved o*ygen! owever, it isa very slow and natural process it could be signi.cantly accelerated by humanactivities that increase the ow of nutrient input in a water body!

/resently, eutrophication is one of the main factors causing rapid growth of micro-organisms and turbid waters in onghu %a$e, #hina (e et al!, 00!*cessive growth of icchornia crassipes and "lternanthera phelo*irodes hasbeen noted in the shallow, eutrophic onghu %a$e! +he blooming in terms of biomass and height of the species was noted in the month of 2ovember in 1993and 1994! "lternanthera phelo*irodes showed the beginning of a bloom in5eptember and ! crassipes in 6ctober (%iu et al!, 007! +aihu %a$e (#hina, isunder threat from eutrophication due to the e*cessive amount of nutrients itreceives from local industries and agricultural activities! owever, 8eiliang ayis the maor eutrophic area of this la$e! +he chemical o*ygen demand was 7!3;mg


7/21

or the primary productivity, is the .rst step in the food chain of a la$e! +he e*tentof algal production indicates to a certain degree the productive capacity of a la$e!owever, there are limits beyond which algal growth becomes detrimental toother a'uatic life (Beutter, 1949!2utrients are necessary for all living cells however, phosphorus is an importantcomponent of adenosine triphosphate, adenosine diphosphate, nicotinamide

adenosine dinucleotide phosphate, nucleic acids, and phospholipids in cellmembranes! /hosphorus may be stored in intracellular volutin granules aspolyphosphates in both pro$aryotes and eu$aryotes! At is a limiting nutrient foralgal growth in la$es and reservoirs! /hosphorus enters all water bodiescontinuously in runo& water and inlet streams! /hosphorus is also regularly lostfrom the water bodies through outlet streams and by assimilation into thesediments= @et)el, 001!Marious chemical constituents of wild waters are thought to be an importantfactor in regulating the abundance, composition and geographical distribution of phytoplan$ton! "lthough phosphorus is mainly considered as the limiting nutrientfor phytoplan$ton growth in every water system, the conse'uence of atmosphericnitrogen and its maor role in the acidi.cation of water can also be detrimental!"mong nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon, nitrogen is usually considered as theprimary limiting nutrient for the accumulation of phytoplan$ton diversity(Babalais et al!, 00! 2itrogen is also an important component of chlorophyll,the green pigment that ma$es photosynthesis possible! At may limit phytoplan$ton


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#ompared to natural la$es, reservoirs tend to be more inuenced by nutrientsand other substances transported from the surrounding land! %a$es and reservoirsalso di&er in the amount of phytoplan$ton and a'uatic plants (primary productionthat can also be supported! An eveloping utrophication 5tandards (5 for%a$es and Beservoirs, the 2orth "merican %a$e 8anagement 5ociety (199states, CFor the purposes of this document, perhaps the most important distinction

between rivers, reservoirs and la$es is that of algal abundance per unit of phosphorusD (p! 9! #an.eld and achman (1941 observed data from more than=00 natural la$es and reservoirs and compared their nutrient and responseparameters! +hey found that reservoirs usually have substantially lowerchlorophyll levels than natural la$es in the same phosphorus concentrations(5oballe and immel, 194=! #oo$e and #arlson (1949 reported meanchlorophyll-a values of 17!0 Qg


10/21

sin$ing particle! 6nce at the bottom of the la$e or reservoir, phosphorus maybecome buried and unavailable to the system! "lternatively, rooted plants cantransport phosphorus from the sediment into their tissues where, upon death, thephosphorus can be released bac$ into the water (orne and Koldman, 1997!/hosphorus in sediment may be released bac$ into the system through chemicalreactions e!g!, at p values above 4, phosphate may disassociate from its particle7

and become soluble in water! ottom-feeding .sh and organisms that inhabit thebottom sediments such as worms and other a'uatic organisms can also disturb thesediment, releasing phosphorus bac$ into the water column! /hosphorus isreleased from la$es and reservoirs through the outow to downstream waters(utchinson, 19>= ronmar$ and ansson, 00>!%i$e phosphorus, 2itrogen (2 is also an essential nutrient for living organisms!At may come from natural sources, such as the decomposition of plants andanimals, waste products from a'uatic life within the water, urine and feces of wildlife in the catchments, or (in generally small amounts mineral dissolution of roc$s! 2itrogen also can enter la$es and reservoirs and is often of direct human

origin (such as discharges from sewage treatment plants or leachate from septicsystems or is related to human activities (such as waste from poultry andlivestoc$ facilities, runo& of fertili)ers, or nitrous o*ides from fuel combustion!2itrogen can be transported to la$es and reservoirs through atmosphericdeposition (precipitation on the la$e surface, runo&, or groundwater (utchinson,19>= @et)el, 001!Marious chemical constituents of wild waters are thought to be an importantfactor in regulating the abundance, composition and geographical distribution of phytoplan$ton! "lthough phosphorus is mainly considered as the limiting nutrientfor phytoplan$ton growth in every water system, the conse'uence of atmosphericnitrogen and its maor role in the acidi.cation of water can also be detrimental!"mong nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon, nitrogen is usually considered as theprimary limiting nutrient for the accumulation of phytoplan$ton diversity

(Babalais et al!, 00! 2itrogen is also an important component of chlorophyll,the green pigment that ma$es photosynthesis possible! At may limit phytoplan$tonproduction in temperate eutrophic waters, especially when phosphateconcentrations are high (when nitrogen


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compared to natural la$es (5oballe et al!, 199 @al$er, 1947 194>!8any scienti.c e*perts have noticed that co-limitation of primary productivityby nitrogen and phosphorus is a common process in la$es and other water systems!"s reported by odds et al! (1949, Cstatements that phosphorous is the maornutrient controlling primary productivity in freshwater systems should not beta$en to mean that phosphorous is the only nutrient limiting productivity in all

systemsD! +he most commonly discussed of all nutrients, the three essentialnutrients in fertili)er re'uired for crop growth are nitrogen, phosphorus andpotassium! +hese nutrients, when discharged into water bodies, promotephytoplan$ton (microscopic plants or algae growth! /hytoplan$ton is primaryproducer, signifying the base of the food chain in all a'uatic environments! +he)ooplan$ton feed upon phytoplan$ton, and small .sh feed upon )ooplan$ton! +hesmaller .sh are consumed by large carnivorous .sh! +he growth of phytoplan$ton,or the primary productivity, is the .rst step in the food chain of a la$e! +he e*tentof algal production indicates to a certain degree the productive capacity of a la$e!owever, there are limits beyond which algal growth becomes detrimental toother a'uatic life (Beutter, 1949!2utrients are necessary for all living cells however, phosphorus is an importantcomponent of adenosine triphosphate, adenosine diphosphate, nicotinamideadenosine dinucleotide phosphate, nucleic acids, and phospholipids in cellmembranes! /hosphorus may be stored in intracellular volutin granules aspolyphosphates in both pro$aryotes and eu$aryotes! At is a limiting nutrient foralgal growth in la$es and reservoirs! /hosphorus enters all water bodiescontinuously in runo& water and inlet streams! /hosphorus is also regularly lostfrom the water bodies through outlet streams and by assimilation into thesediments


13/21

livestoc$ facilities, runo& of fertili)ers, or nitrous o*ides from fuel combustion!2itrogen can be transported to la$es and reservoirs through atmosphericdeposition (precipitation on the la$e surface, runo&, or groundwater (utchinson,19>= @et)el, 001!Marious chemical constituents of wild waters are thought to be an importantfactor in regulating the abundance, composition and geographical distribution of

phytoplan$ton! "lthough phosphorus is mainly considered as the limiting nutrientfor phytoplan$ton growth in every water system, the conse'uence of atmosphericnitrogen and its maor role in the acidi.cation of water can also be detrimental!"mong nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon, nitrogen is usually considered as theprimary limiting nutrient for the accumulation of phytoplan$ton diversity(Babalais et al!, 00! 2itrogen is also an important component of chlorophyll,the green pigment that ma$es photosynthesis possible! At may limit phytoplan$tonproduction in temperate eutrophic waters, especially when phosphateconcentrations are high (when nitrogen


14/21

*cessive growth of icchornia crassipes and "lternanthera phelo*irodes hasbeen noted in the shallow, eutrophic onghu %a$e! +he blooming in terms of biomass and height of the species was noted in the month of 2ovember in 1993and 1994! "lternanthera phelo*irodes showed the beginning of a bloom in5eptember and ! crassipes in 6ctober (%iu et al!, 007! +aihu %a$e (#hina, isunder threat from eutrophication due to the e*cessive amount of nutrients it

receives from local industries and agricultural activities! owever, 8eiliang ayis the maor eutrophic area of this la$e! +he chemical o*ygen demand was 7!3;mg


15/21

polyphosphates in both pro$aryotes and eu$aryotes! At is a limiting nutrient foralgal growth in la$es and reservoirs! /hosphorus enters all water bodiescontinuously in runo& water and inlet streams! /hosphorus is also regularly lostfrom the water bodies through outlet streams and by assimilation into thesediments= @et)el, 001!Marious chemical constituents of wild waters are thought to be an importantfactor in regulating the abundance, composition and geographical distribution of phytoplan$ton! "lthough phosphorus is mainly considered as the limiting nutrientfor phytoplan$ton growth in every water system, the conse'uence of atmosphericnitrogen and its maor role in the acidi.cation of water can also be detrimental!"mong nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon, nitrogen is usually considered as theprimary limiting nutrient for the accumulation of phytoplan$ton diversity

(Babalais et al!, 00! 2itrogen is also an important component of chlorophyll,the green pigment that ma$es photosynthesis possible! At may limit phytoplan$tonproduction in temperate eutrophic waters, especially when phosphateconcentrations are high (when nitrogen


16/21

of cyanobacteria (bluegreen algae are also able to use nitrogen (2 directly fromthe atmosphere! Marious forms of organic nitrogen (nitrogen that is bound tocarbon-based molecules may also become available in phytoplan$ton, li$e urea(O2P#6, a soluble organic compound containing nitrogen that is e*creted byurine and which can also be applied to the land as fertili)er, easily degrading intoinorganic forms of nitrogen! 5imilarly, organic nitrogen found in plant and animal

tissues can become available for use by primary producers if converted by bacteriainto inorganic forms of nitrogen (@et)el, 001! /rimarily, nitrogen can reducefrom la$es and reservoirs through the outow, in an e*change with groundwater,in the sediments and by denitrifying bacteria (e!g! converting 26;- to 2 withsubse'uent loss of nitrogen gas (2 to the atmosphere (utchinson, 19>= @et)el,001!Ancluding nutrients, other environmental factors also inhabited by plan$ton areheterogeneous, li$e temperature, irradiance and nutrient availability which areamong the more obvious variables (Beynolds, 1947! +he algal bloom caused byreservoir,primarily because its velocity reduces: sediments, nutrients and othermaterial carried in the faster-owing water settle out in the basin, undergoingsedimentation (Ford, 1990! "s result, water accumulating huge amounts of nutrients from natural environments is often called eutrophic! #ompared to naturalla$es, reservoirs tend to be more inuenced by nutrients and other substancestransported from the surrounding land! %a$es and reservoirs also di&er in theamount of phytoplan$ton and a'uatic plants (primary production that can besupported! levated levels of nitrogen and phosphorous from agricultural runo&,and also from fertili)ers, liberate the phosphorous and nitrogen limitations thatphytoplan$ton e*perience and lead to an algal bloom or eutrophication! +heseblooms might stimulate bacterial growth and reduce dissolved o*ygen levels inla$es, which ma$es a'uatic life miserable! "ccordingly, the two most noticeablemar$ers of heavy nutrient loading in la$es are an e*cessive plant growth(eutrophication and a decreased concentration of dissolved o*ygen! owever, it isa very slow and natural process it could be signi.cantly accelerated by humanactivities that increase the ow of nutrient input in a water body!/resently, eutrophication is one of the main factors causing rapid growth of micro-organisms and turbid waters in onghu %a$e, #hina (e et al!, 00!*cessive growth of icchornia crassipes and "lternanthera phelo*irodes hasbeen noted in the shallow, eutrophic onghu %a$e! +he blooming in terms of biomass and height of the species was noted in the month of 2ovember in 1993and 1994! "lternanthera phelo*irodes showed the beginning of a bloom in5eptember and ! crassipes in 6ctober (%iu et al!, 007! +aihu %a$e (#hina, isunder threat from eutrophication due to the e*cessive amount of nutrients itreceives from local industries and agricultural activities! owever, 8eiliang ayis the maor eutrophic area of this la$e! +he chemical o*ygen demand was 7!3;mg


17/21

=00 natural la$es and reservoirs and compared their nutrient and responseparameters! +hey found that reservoirs usually have substantially lowerchlorophyll levels than natural la$es in the same phosphorus concentrations(5oballe and immel, 194=! #oo$e and #arlson (1949 reported meanchlorophyll-a values of 17!0 Qg


18/21

and become soluble in water! ottom-feeding .sh and organisms that inhabit thebottom sediments such as worms and other a'uatic organisms can also disturb thesediment, releasing phosphorus bac$ into the water column! /hosphorus isreleased from la$es and reservoirs through the outow to downstream waters(utchinson, 19>= ronmar$ and ansson, 00>!%i$e phosphorus, 2itrogen (2 is also an essential nutrient for living organisms!At may come from natural sources, such as the decomposition of plants andanimals, waste products from a'uatic life within the water, urine and feces of wildlife in the catchments, or (in generally small amounts mineral dissolution of roc$s! 2itrogen also can enter la$es and reservoirs and is often of direct humanorigin (such as discharges from sewage treatment plants or leachate from septicsystems or is related to human activities (such as waste from poultry andlivestoc$ facilities, runo& of fertili)ers, or nitrous o*ides from fuel combustion!2itrogen can be transported to la$es and reservoirs through atmosphericdeposition (precipitation on the la$e surface, runo&, or groundwater (utchinson,19>= @et)el, 001!Marious chemical constituents of wild waters are thought to be an importantfactor in regulating the abundance, composition and geographical distribution of phytoplan$ton! "lthough phosphorus is mainly considered as the limiting nutrientfor phytoplan$ton growth in every water system, the conse'uence of atmosphericnitrogen and its maor role in the acidi.cation of water can also be detrimental!"mong nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon, nitrogen is usually considered as theprimary limiting nutrient for the accumulation of phytoplan$ton diversity(Babalais et al!, 00! 2itrogen is also an important component of chlorophyll,the green pigment that ma$es photosynthesis possible! At may limit phytoplan$tonproduction in temperate eutrophic waters, especially when phosphateconcentrations are high (when nitrogen


19/21

transported from the surrounding land! %a$es and reservoirs also di&er in theamount of phytoplan$ton and a'uatic plants (primary production that can besupported! levated levels of nitrogen and phosphorous from agricultural runo&,and also from fertili)ers, liberate the phosphorous and nitrogen limitations thatphytoplan$ton e*perience and lead to an algal bloom or eutrophication! +heseblooms might stimulate bacterial growth and reduce dissolved o*ygen levels in

la$es, which ma$es a'uatic life miserable! "ccordingly, the two most noticeablemar$ers of heavy nutrient loading in la$es are an e*cessive plant growth(eutrophication and a decreased concentration of dissolved o*ygen! owever, it isa very slow and natural process it could be signi.cantly accelerated by humanactivities that increase the ow of nutrient input in a water body!/resently, eutrophication is one of the main factors causing rapid growth of micro-organisms and turbid waters in onghu %a$e, #hina (e et al!, 00!*cessive growth of icchornia crassipes and "lternanthera phelo*irodes hasbeen noted in the shallow, eutrophic onghu %a$e! +he blooming in terms of biomass and height of the species was noted in the month of 2ovember in 1993and 1994! "lternanthera phelo*irodes showed the beginning of a bloom in5eptember and ! crassipes in 6ctober (%iu et al!, 007! +aihu %a$e (#hina, isunder threat from eutrophication due to the e*cessive amount of nutrients itreceives from local industries and agricultural activities! owever, 8eiliang ayis the maor eutrophic area of this la$e! +he chemical o*ygen demand was 7!3;mg


20/21

potassium! +hese nutrients, when discharged into water bodies, promotephytoplan$ton (microscopic plants or algae growth! /hytoplan$ton is primaryproducer, signifying the base of the food chain in all a'uatic environments! +he)ooplan$ton feed upon phytoplan$ton, and small .sh feed upon )ooplan$ton! +hesmaller .sh are consumed by large carnivorous .sh! +he growth of phytoplan$ton,or the primary productivity, is the .rst step in the food chain of a la$e! +he e*tent

of algal production indicates to a certain degree the productive capacity of a la$e!owever, there are limits beyond which algal growth becomes detrimental toother a'uatic life (Beutter, 1949!2utrients are necessary for all living cells however, phosphorus is an importantcomponent of adenosine triphosphate, adenosine diphosphate, nicotinamideadenosine dinucleotide phosphate, nucleic acids, and phospholipids in cellmembranes! /hosphorus may be stored in intracellular volutin granules aspolyphosphates in both pro$aryotes and eu$aryotes! At is a limiting nutrient foralgal growth in la$es and reservoirs! /hosphorus enters all water bodiescontinuously in runo& water and inlet streams! /hosphorus is also regularly lostfrom the water bodies through outlet streams and by assimilation into thesediments= @et)el, 001!Marious chemical constituents of wild waters are thought to be an importantfactor in regulating the abundance, composition and geographical distribution of phytoplan$ton! "lthough phosphorus is mainly considered as the limiting nutrientfor phytoplan$ton growth in every water system, the conse'uence of atmospheric


21/21

nitrogen and its maor role in the acidi.cation of water can also be detrimental!"mong nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon, nitrogen is usually considered as theprimary limiting nutrient for the accumulation of phytoplan$ton diversity(Babalais et al!, 00! 2itrogen is also an important component of chlorophyll,the green pigment that ma$es photosynthesis possible! At may limit phytoplan$tonproduction in temperate eutrophic waters, especially when phosphate

concentrations are high (when nitrogen

Documents

Phosphorous and Nitrogen Limitations