Phosphorus transformations in the epilimnia of small humic forest lakes

Abstract

Research on epilimnetic phosphorus transformations in lakes had led to the establishment of a generalised picture which is promoted in reviews and textbooks. However, it would be wrong to believe that this established view can be applied to all lakes. Certainly the transformations of phosphorus in the summer epilimnia of small, coloured, humic forest lakes in southern Finland show features which deviate markedly from the generally accepted paradigm. (1) The plankton appears to be limited simultaneously by P and N rather than being strongly P limited. (2) Particulate P is typically a rather small fraction of the total P. (3) Molybdate reactive P may be a large part of the total P, although much of this MRP is not free orthophosphate, especially in highly humic lakes. (4) Turnover times for PO4-P are normally long (50–1000 minutes); turnover times appear to be longer in highly humic lakes. (5) Added 32 PO4 passes rapidly to macrozooplankton, apparently with rapid turnover of zooplankton phosphorus. (6) Sedimentation of phosphorus from the typically shallow epilimnion appears high, but may be partially compensated by biological retrieval of phosphorus from the phosphorus-rich hypolimnion.