Nitrogen and Phosphorus Limitation of Phytoplankton Growth in New Zealand Lakes: Implications for Eutrophication Control

Abell, Jonathan Michael; Özkundakci, Deniz; Hamilton, David P.

doi:10.1007/s10021-010-9367-9

Cited by 183 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…' Paterson et al (2011) also state that ''we are unaware of successful programs to limit eutrophication by restricting inputs of N, either alone or in combination with P.'' We located several examples of nutrient loading reductions, including N, that resulted in improved water quality and lower phytoplankton biomass (Vant and Gilliland 1991;James et al 1994;Kö hler et al 2005). Our analyses also support other studies showing that N load reductions should be pursued in lakes where background P is naturally high (Abell et al 2010;Finlay et al 2010) or where elevated N clearly favors bloom-forming and toxic cyanobacteria that do not fix N (Davis et al 2010). Furthermore, combined N and P management strategies present the most effective means for controlling eutrophication in diverse ecosystems along the freshwater-to-marine continuum (Conley et al 2009).…”

supporting

confidence: 70%

Response to Comment: Nitrogen fixation has not offset declines in the Lake 227 nitrogen pool and shows that nitrogen control deserves consideration in aquatic ecosystems

Scott¹,

McCarthy²

2011

Limnology & Oceanography

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We thank Paterson et al. (2011) for their comment on Scott and McCarthy (2010). As stated in our original paper, we agree that Lake 227 has remained eutrophic in response to phosphorus (P) fertilization alone. However, the effect of halting nitrogen (N) fertilization cannot be fully evaluated until the N pool in Lake 227 has reached steady state. The relatively high chlorophyll a (Chl a) and phytoplankton biomasses reported for 2007and 2009(Paterson et al. 2011 were not surprising considering the tremendous variability in these measurements over the entire experimental period. However, these new data do not nullify the decreases in total N (TN) and Chl a from 1990 to 2005, determined from data in Schindler et al. (2008). Additional years of P fertilization at the current rate are needed to determine if decreasing N, but stable P, results in measurable decreases in Chl a or phytoplankton biomass.TN concentrations in Lake 227 have continued to decline, but total P (TP) concentrations have not changed since N fertilization was suspended in 1990. Furthermore, dissolved inorganic N (DIN) : total dissolved P (TDP) and total dissolved N (TDN) : TDP ratios have decreased, and heterocyte abundances have increased since 1990 (Paterson et al. 2011). Paterson et al. (2011 misinterpret the increase in heterocyte abundance as a signal that the phytoplankton have overcome N deficiency. The mere presence of heterocystous cyanobacteria does not indicate that N fixation is meeting phytoplankton N demand (Lewis and Wurtsbaugh 2008). If N-fixing cyanobacteria were supplying N at a rate proportional to P fertilization, TN concentrations would remain constant or increase relative to TP. Instead, N losses from denitrification, burial, or washout have been greater than ecosystem N gains from N fixation, which confirms that fixed N has not accumulated in Lake 227 over a multi-annual timescale (Scott and McCarthy 2010).The energetic costs of N fixation limit phytoplankton primary production and biomass accumulation. Many studies have shown that cyanobacteria differentiating heterocytes and fixing N have lower growth efficiencies and accumulate less biomass per unit N than those assimilating DIN (Rhee and Lederman 1983;Attridge and Rowell 1997;De Nobel et al. 1997). Therefore, the tradeoff associated with the high energetic costs of N fixation, compared with the relatively low energetic costs of DIN assimilation, will yield less biomass when cyanobacteria are fixing N, even at the ecosystem scale.Using a meta-analysis of almost 900 studies on freshwater and marine environments, Elser et al. (2007) showed that the combination of N + P enrichment always yielded more biomass than N or P enrichment alone. The tremendous temporal variability in Chl a and phytoplankton biomasses over the 41-yr experiment in Lake 227 masks this effect. However, when data were grouped by the seven unique combinations in P and N fertilization rates (Schindler et al. 2008;Paterson et al. 2011), average annual Chl a concentrations were strongly proportional to annua...

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supporting

confidence: 70%

Response to Comment: Nitrogen fixation has not offset declines in the Lake 227 nitrogen pool and shows that nitrogen control deserves consideration in aquatic ecosystems

Scott¹,

McCarthy²

2011

Limnology & Oceanography

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“…Definition of a TN : TP ratiothreshold to indicate P or N limitation water bodies is reported to vary widely (Abell et al 2010). The mean TN : TP ratio, derived from average annual nutrient concentrations sampled between 2001 to 2010 in the reservoir, was 33 (range: 16-52), and BS with no nutrient removal through fish ponds X X X X SC4 BS with no sewage point sources from households X X X X SC5 BS with exclusion of pig nutrient loading X X X X SC6 BS with exclusion of duck and geese nutrient loading X X X X SC7 BS with inclusion of chicken nutrient loading X X X X X X SC8 BS with exclusion of all livestock nutrient loading X SC9 BS with implementation of buffer zones along waterways X X X X X SC10 BS with additional N at rice fields (556 kg N ha À1 yr À1 ) X X X X X SC11 BS with additional N at rice fields (805 kg N ha À1 yr À1 ) X X X X X therefore the primary producers are likely dominated by P limitation (i.e.…”

Section: Model Configuration and Watershed Delineationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The mean TN : TP ratio, derived from average annual nutrient concentrations sampled between 2001 to 2010 in the reservoir, was 33 (range: 16-52), and BS with no nutrient removal through fish ponds X X X X SC4 BS with no sewage point sources from households X X X X SC5 BS with exclusion of pig nutrient loading X X X X SC6 BS with exclusion of duck and geese nutrient loading X X X X SC7 BS with inclusion of chicken nutrient loading X X X X X X SC8 BS with exclusion of all livestock nutrient loading X SC9 BS with implementation of buffer zones along waterways X X X X X SC10 BS with additional N at rice fields (556 kg N ha À1 yr À1 ) X X X X X SC11 BS with additional N at rice fields (805 kg N ha À1 yr À1 ) X X X X X therefore the primary producers are likely dominated by P limitation (i.e. TN : TP .15, Abell et al 2010) for the majority of time, while N limitation may occasionally occur. Hence, we additionally estimated the effects on the water quality of the Kaiping reservoir using the simple and widely used empirical model by Vollenweider and Kerekes (1982):…”

Section: Model Configuration and Watershed Delineationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing ways to combat eutrophication in a Chinese drinking water reservoir using SWAT

Nielsen

Trolle

et al. 2013

Mar. Freshwater Res.

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Abstract. Across China, nutrient losses associated with agricultural production and domestic sewage have triggered eutrophication, and local managers are challenged to comply with drinking water quality requirements. Evidently, the improvement of water quality should be targeted holistically and encompass both point sources and surface activities within the watershed of a reservoir. We expanded the ordinary Soil Water Assessment Tool -(SWAT) with a widely used empirical equation to estimate total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in lakes and reservoirs. Subsequently, we examined the effects of changes in land and livestock management and sewage treatment on nutrient export and derived consequences for water quality in the Chinese subtropical Kaiping (Dashahe) drinking water reservoir (supplying 0.4 million people). The critical load of TP was estimated to 13.5 tonnes yr À1 in order to comply with the minimum drinking water requirements, which corresponds to 87% of the simulated load to the reservoir at present. Both the implementation of buffer zones along rivers and removal of sewage discharges showed marked improvement in reservoir water quality. Future research should focus on both hydrological model performance and nutrient transport pathways, which are challenged by a complex artificially altered water infrastructure in the form of ditches, channels and ponds in monsooninfluenced subtropical watersheds.

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“…Many studies have showed that nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), especially availability of both, regulate phytoplankton production in lacustrine systems (Abell et al 2010;Xu et al 2010). Major nutrient sources come from external runoffs and internal nutrient loading.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial variation in nutrient excretion by macrozoobenthos in a Chinese large shallow lake (Lake Taihu)

Song

Cao

et al. 2015

Journal of Freshwater Ecology

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Nutrient (N and P) fluxes via excretion by macrozoobenthos were estimated in a Chinese large shallow lake (Lake Taihu). The spatial variation in nutrient fluxes and the differences of specific excretion rate among six dominant species were quantified. The distribution of dominant species varied significantly among different trophic lake areas. The maximum biomass of macrozoobenthos was calculated in phytoplanktondominated lake areas, while the minimum occurred in macrophyte-dominated lake areas. Mass-specific excretion rate among six dominant species was significantly different. Our results indicated that nutrient flux through benthic invertebrate varied spatially, which was affected by dominant benthic species composition and biomass. Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Corbicula fluminea and Bellamya aeruginosa made the greatest contribution to the total nutrient fluxes in Lake Taihu. N and P fluxes excreted by macrozoobenthos were greatest in phytoplankton-dominated lake areas (1037.7 mmol N m ¡2 d ¡1 and 111.74 mmol P m ¡2 d ¡1 ), which were almost 20 times greater than in the other lake areas. Since N and P excreted by macrozoobenthos could be rapidly absorbed by algae, macrozoobenthos might be a significant nutrient source contributing to frequent algal blooms in Lake Taihu.

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Nitrogen and Phosphorus Limitation of Phytoplankton Growth in New Zealand Lakes: Implications for Eutrophication Control

Cited by 183 publications

References 56 publications

Response to Comment: Nitrogen fixation has not offset declines in the Lake 227 nitrogen pool and shows that nitrogen control deserves consideration in aquatic ecosystems

Response to Comment: Nitrogen fixation has not offset declines in the Lake 227 nitrogen pool and shows that nitrogen control deserves consideration in aquatic ecosystems

Assessing ways to combat eutrophication in a Chinese drinking water reservoir using SWAT

Spatial variation in nutrient excretion by macrozoobenthos in a Chinese large shallow lake (Lake Taihu)

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