Seston Stoichiometry Research Articles

Seston stoichiometry and nutrient deficiency in a shallow eutrophic pond

Seston stoichiometry and nutrient deficiency in a shallow eutrophic pond

Nutrient status and nutrient competition of phytoplankton in a shallow, hypertrophic lake

The nutritional status of phytoplankton in a shallow, hypertrophic lake was analyzed by stoichiometry of seston and by enrichment bioassays during a 6‐month period. Both methods suggested moderate and temporally interrupted nutrient limitation of reproductive rates. Nitrogen was the most frequently limiting nutrient, phosphorus was next, and silicate limitation of three diatom species occurred only once. The nutritional status of the most abundant individual species could be described by the Monod equation. The nutritional status of the entire phytoplankton assemblage could be described by a modified version of the Droop equation. In accordance with competition theory, phytoplankton species were arrayed along resource ratio gradients. These results are consistent with ecophysiological models derived from culture experiments.