There is increasing evidence that nitrogen limitation is of widespread occurrence in tropical lakes. Nonetheless, data on the deep tropical Lake Alchichica (Mexico) show that dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) to soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) ratio fluctuates widely. To elucidate further the role of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation on the phytoplankton growth in tropical saline lakes, we present the results of a series of nutrient enrichment experiments with natural assemblages of Lake Alchichica phytoplankton conducted monthly for a year. Our assays indicate that phosphorus and nitrogen alternate in limiting Lake Alchichica phytoplankton biomass. Phosphorous limited phytoplankton growth most (41.7%) of the time, followed by nitrogen (33.3% of the time), and both nutrients for the rest of the time (25.0%). This alternation in nitrogen and phosphorus responsible for phytoplankton growth limitation in Lake Alchichica is attributed to the combination of natural conditions (e.g., young volcanic terrain rich in phosphorus) that would favor nitrogen limitation and anthropogenic impacts (e.g., agricultural nitrogen fertilization) which would cause phosphorus limitation.
Planktonic crustacean assemblages were examined monthly for one year in a system of three reservoirs in the Mexican Central Plateau (Rio Grande de Morelia)-Lorna Caliente, Umecuaro and Cointzio. Temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, transparency, nitrites, nitrates, total phosphorus, iron, hardness, turbidity, and suspended solids were quantified. Fourteen species of planktonic crustaceans were observed, including four copepods and ten cladocerans; major phytoplankton taxa were Chlorophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, Dinophyceae and Cyanobacteria. The first two reservoirs were dominated by cladoceran assemblages, and species of Chlorophyceae and Bacillariophyceae were common. In Cointzio, the downstream reservoir, a seasonal shift in dominance from copepods to cladocerans was observed and cyanobacteria blooms prevailed. Canonical correspondence analysis showed an environmental gradient from the two upstream reservoirs (with cold, transparent, softer waters) to the downstream reservoir (with highly turbid, more mineralized waters). Specific richness, diversity. and the speed of the shift in dominance from cladocerans to copepods between the dry and wet seasons all increased in line with the mineralization gradient. INTRODUCTIONThe composition, structure, and abundance of zooplankton assemblages are affected by both biological factors (quality and quantity of food, predation, competition; Cooper and Vigg 1985) and physicochelnical factors (salinity, transparency, turbidity, temperature;Uku and Mavuti 1994, Naselli andBarone 1994).Planktonic crustaceans may account for nearly 60 to 70% of the total zooplankton
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