Limiting Resources and the Regulation of Diversity in Phytoplankton Communities

Interlandi, Sebastian J.; Kilham, Susan S.

doi:10.2307/2679988

Cited by 47 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…However, as demonstrated by mathematical models and field experiments, phytoplankton biodiversity can be correlated to increased productivity (Tilman 1981; Downing and Leibold 2002; Striebel et al 2009). Furthermore, in natural freshwater systems, productivity, measured as biomass, was highest when there was abundant nutrient availability (Interlandi and Kilham 2001). These observations underlie the challenge of needing high biomass loads to maximize overall lipid production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sources and resources: importance of nutrients, resource allocation, and ecology in microalgal cultivation for lipid accumulation

Fields

Hise

Lohman

et al. 2014

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol

114

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Regardless of current market conditions and availability of conventional petroleum sources, alternatives are needed to circumvent future economic and environmental impacts from continued exploration and harvesting of conventional hydrocarbons. Diatoms and green algae (microalgae) are eukaryotic photoautotrophs that can utilize inorganic carbon (e.g., CO2) as a carbon source and sunlight as an energy source, and many microalgae can store carbon and energy in the form of neutral lipids. In addition to accumulating useful precursors for biofuels and chemical feed stocks, the use of autotrophic microorganisms can further contribute to reduced CO2 emissions through utilization of atmospheric CO2. Because of the inherent connection between carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in biological systems, macronutrient deprivation has been proven to significantly enhance lipid accumulation in different diatom and algae species. However, much work is needed to understand the link between carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in controlling resource allocation at different levels of biological resolution (cellular versus ecological). An improved understanding of the relationship between the effects of N, P, and micronutrient availability on carbon resource allocation (cell growth versus lipid storage) in microalgae is needed in conjunction with life cycle analysis. This mini-review will briefly discuss the current literature on the use of nutrient deprivation and other conditions to control and optimize microalgal growth in the context of cell and lipid accumulation for scale-up processes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sources and resources: importance of nutrients, resource allocation, and ecology in microalgal cultivation for lipid accumulation

Fields

Hise

Lohman

et al. 2014

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol

114

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…At extreme resource ratios most species are likely to be limited by the same resources with little chance for competitive coexistence. Multiple limiting resources that are, on average, in a balanced supply should allow for more species to coexist than should resources with a highly skewed distribution [25]. Since resource ratios influence species coexistence, they indirectly also affect community biomass and productivity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Total Resources, Resource Ratios, and Species Richness on Algal Productivity and Evenness at Both Metacommunity and Local Scales

Gamfeldt¹,

Hillebrand²

2011

PLoS ONE

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The study of the interrelationship between productivity and biodiversity is a major research field in ecology. Theory predicts that if essential resources are heterogeneously distributed across a metacommunity, single species may dominate productivity in individual metacommunity patches, but a mixture of species will maximize productivity across the whole metacommunity. It also predicts that a balanced supply of resources within local patches should favor species coexistence, whereas resource imbalance would favor the dominance of one species. We performed an experiment with five freshwater algal species to study the effects of total supply of resources, their ratios, and species richness on biovolume production and evenness at the scale of both local patches and metacommunities. Generally, algal biovolume increased, whereas algal resource use efficiency (RUE) and evenness decreased with increasing total supply of resources in mixed communities containing all five species. In contrast to predictions for biovolume production, the species mixtures did not outperform all monocultures at the scale of metacommunities. In other words, we observed no general transgressive overyielding. However, RUE was always higher in mixtures than predicted from monocultures, and analyses indicate that resource partitioning or facilitation in mixtures resulted in higher-than-expected productivity at high resource supply. Contrasting our predictions for the local scale, balanced supply of resources did not generally favor higher local evenness, however lowest evenness was confined to patches with the most imbalanced supply. Thus, our study provides mixed support for recent theoretical advancements to understand biodiversity-productivity relationships.

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“…Species diversity shaped by nutrients is seen as the response to the number of limiting nutrients (e.g. Interlandi & Kilham, 2001) and to the dynamic of nutrients defined by both quantities -the magnitude and the frequency of pulses (e.g. Sommer, 1995;Polishchuk, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Steady state phytoplankton in a deep pre-alpine lake: species and pigments of epilimnetic versus metalimnetic assemblages

Teubner¹,

Tolotti

Greisberger³

et al. 2003

Phytoplankton and Equilibrium Concept: The Ecology of Steady-State Assemblages

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The vertical distribution pattern of algal species, chlorophylls and specific carotenoids present in the dimictic prealpine Ammersee (Bavaria, Germany) are given for the year 2001. A detailed taxonomic list of the phytoplankton species is recorded, along with light micrographs and detailed descriptions of the flagellates. A deep chorophyll maximum, mainly built by Planktothrix rubescens, was common in this deep mesotrophic lake. The three most dominant species among 83 identified taxa alternated seasonally and reached significant biovolumes in both the epiand the metalimnion (Planktothrix rubescens > Ceratium hirundinella > unicellular centric diatoms > Asterionella formosa > Fragilaria spp. > Anabaena lemmermannii > Phacotus lenticularis and less frequent dominant was Rhodomonas minuta). We define a steady state phytoplankton assemblage in Ammersee as a stable community in terms of species composition and standing crop. The stability of species composition was measured by Bray-Curtis similarity between monthly samples and indicate the change of individual biovolumes of species from month to month. The stability of standing crop was evaluated by the net change of total biovolume for the same time intervals. Focussing on steady state phytoplankton assemblages we compared three spatially heterogeneous environments for vertical niche separation within the top 12 m: the euphotic epilimnion (2 and 5 m), the euphotic metalimnion (7 m) and the metalimnion below the euphotic zone with dim-light less than 1% (10 and 12 m). The definition of a steady state assemblage on both ends hold true only for metalimnetic layers at dim-light levels below 1% in Ammersee. At this metalimnetic layer more than 80% similarity in phytoplankton composition between successive monthly samples was reached, associated with almost zero net changes of total biovolume only. The greater the contribution of the three most dominant taxa to biovolume, the higher were the Bray-Curtis similarities at metalimnetic depths below the euphotic zone. Zooplankton biomass had very little effect on species assemblages in the metalimnion, while parameters related to stratification (Schmidt stability) as well as those of trophy (TP, Chl) correlated with species changes. The similarity values between successive monthly samples from all the euphotic layers never reached more than 60% and were usually significantly lower, even if biovolume net changes were around zero. Both the high fluctuations of the ratio of photosynthetic versus photo-protective carotenoids (PSC:PPC) and the statistical significance of correlations between the change of species and environmental-biotic parameters separate the euphotic layer of the top 7 m as a homogenous community from deeper strata. At all sampling depths within this euphotic zone the increase of sunshine duration was associated with an increase of the carotenoid ratio PSC:PPC, but no relationship was found for the deeper layers. The change of species in the euphotic layer was not significantly related to thermal stability, TP o...

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Limiting Resources and the Regulation of Diversity in Phytoplankton Communities

Cited by 47 publications

References 31 publications

Sources and resources: importance of nutrients, resource allocation, and ecology in microalgal cultivation for lipid accumulation

Sources and resources: importance of nutrients, resource allocation, and ecology in microalgal cultivation for lipid accumulation

Effects of Total Resources, Resource Ratios, and Species Richness on Algal Productivity and Evenness at Both Metacommunity and Local Scales

Steady state phytoplankton in a deep pre-alpine lake: species and pigments of epilimnetic versus metalimnetic assemblages

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