Roles of Nutrients in Controlling Growth of Epilithon in Oligotrophic Lakes of Low Alkalinity

1994 ◽  
Vol 51 (12) ◽  
pp. 2784-2793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Turner ◽  
E. Todd Howell ◽  
Gordon G. C. Robinson ◽  
Paul Campbell ◽  
Robert E. Hecky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Optimal Growth ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Nutrient Ratios ◽  
P Availability ◽  
Experimental Lakes Area ◽  
Diffusive Resistance ◽  
Pelagic Food Webs ◽  
Algal Photosynthesis

The ability of nutrients to control photosynthesis was compared in epilithon (the association on rock surfaces in the littoral zone) and phytoplankton of 13 low alkalinity lakes of the Experimental Lakes Area of northwestern Ontario. The study included (1) surveys of lakes varying in nutrient concentrations; (2) experimental additions to lakes of carbon and nitrogen (N), with or without phosphorus (P); and (3) experimental additions to lakes of sulfuric and nitric acids. Nutrient controls of planktonic and epilithic algal photosynthesis differed consistently. Phosphorus limited planktonic algal photosynthesis. In contrast, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) limited epilithic photosynthesis in both perturbed and unperturbed lakes because diffusive resistance kept the effective supply of DIC below the level needed for optimal growth. Epilithic photosynthesis was lowered when lake disturbances (e.g., acidification) reduced epilimnetic concentrations of DIC. Expected increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide can, therefore, differentially affect the littoral and pelagic food webs in low DIC lakes. Epilithic photosynthesis in all study lakes was unrelated to N or P availability despite apparent N and P deficiencies, based upon particulate nutrient ratios. Rates of epilithic respiration were, however, correlated with epilimnetic concentrations of inorganic N.

Dynamics of a cyanobacterial bloom in a hypereutrophic, stratified weir pool

2003 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Thompson ◽  
A. M. Waite ◽  
K. McMahon
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Cyanobacterial Bloom ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
P Availability ◽  
The Public ◽  
Limiting Nutrient ◽  
Bottom Waters ◽  
Oxygenated Water

In summer 1997–1998, a bloom of the cyanobacteria Anabaena circinalis (Rabenhorst) and Anabaena spiroides (Klebahn) contaminated the Canning River (Perth, WA), forcing its closure to the public for swimming and fishing. We investigated the major nutrient fluctuations before, during and after the bloom. The river was persistently temperature stratified at least 1 month prior to the bloom. The surface and bottom layers of water had distinctly different nutrient concentrations, which meant that biomass and growth rates of the phytoplankton within each layer were limited by different nutrients. At the peak of the bloom, in the bottom waters growth rates were light limited and biomass was nitrogen limited, whereas in the surface waters biomass was controlled by phosphorus (P) availability and growth rates were probably limited by the lack of dissolved inorganic carbon. Another consequence of stratification was that, at the peak of the bloom (0.25 mg chlorophyll L−1), the mostly buoyant cyanobacteria could not access 83% of the P released from sediments during the summer period of anoxia. In this situation, the injection of oxygenated water, tested as a remediation measure for algal blooms, is likely to exacerbate a bloom by providing more of the limiting nutrient to the surface layer. However, aeration prior to the bloom may reduce P release from the sediments by preventing anoxia.

Experimental manipulations of the biomass of introduced carp (Cyprinus carpio) in billabongs. II. Impacts on benthic properties and processes1

1997 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 445 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. I. Robertson ◽  
M. R. Healey ◽  
A. J. King
Keyword(s):  
Algal Biomass ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Sediment Oxygen Demand ◽  
Sediment Surface ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Nutrient Ratios ◽  
Biofilm Development ◽  
The Impact

Two billabongs on the floodplain of the Murrumbidgee River, Australia, were partitioned in half with impermeable plastic barriers and the biomass of carp was manipulated to establish high- and low-carp biomass treatments in each billabong. Measurements of benthic variables (rates of particle settlement, biofilm development, sediment respiration, macrophyte detritus decomposition, sediment solid-phase nutrient concentrations and benthic algal biomass) were performed over four months from summer to winter 1995. Rates of particle settlement were greater in the high-carp treatment of each billabong throughout the experiment. High carp biomass had a negative impact on the autotrophic component of the biofilm developing on wood blocks placed at different heights above the sediment surface but the mechanism responsible differed between billabongs. Sediment oxygen demand became greater in the presence of a higher biomass of carp during the experiment but time courses differed between billabongs. Manipulations of carp biomass did not influence algal biomass on the sediment surface, the rate of decomposition of macrophyte detritus or sediment solid-phase nutrients or nutrient ratios. The impact of carp on benthic and surficial processes was significant but the mechanisms of change differed between billabongs.

scholarly journals Modelling the biogeochemical effects of heterotrophic and autotrophic N<sub>2</sub> fixation in the Gulf of Aqaba (Israel), Red Sea

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (24) ◽  
pp. 7379-7401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela M. Kuhn ◽  
Katja Fennel ◽  
Ilana Berman-Frank
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
N2 Fixation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Gulf Of Aqaba ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Nutrient Ratios ◽  
Biogeochemical Models ◽  
Deep Waters ◽  
Direct Measurements

Abstract. Recent studies demonstrate that marine N2 fixation can be carried out without light by heterotrophic N2 fixers (diazotrophs). However, direct measurements of N2 fixation in aphotic environments are relatively scarce. Heterotrophic as well as unicellular and colonial photoautotrophic diazotrophs are present in the oligotrophic Gulf of Aqaba (northern Red Sea). This study evaluates the relative importance of these different diazotrophs by combining biogeochemical models with time series measurements at a 700 m deep monitoring station in the Gulf of Aqaba. At this location, an excess of nitrate, relative to phosphate, is present throughout most of the water column and especially in deep waters during stratified conditions. A relative excess of phosphate occurs only at the water surface during nutrient-starved conditions in summer. We show that a model without N2 fixation can replicate the observed surface chlorophyll but fails to accurately simulate inorganic nutrient concentrations throughout the water column. Models with N2 fixation improve simulated deep nitrate by enriching sinking organic matter in nitrogen, suggesting that N2 fixation is necessary to explain the observations. The observed vertical structure of nutrient ratios and oxygen is reproduced best with a model that includes heterotrophic as well as colonial and unicellular autotrophic diazotrophs. These results suggest that heterotrophic N2 fixation contributes to the observed excess nitrogen in deep water at this location. If heterotrophic diazotrophs are generally present in oligotrophic ocean regions, their consideration would increase current estimates of global N2 fixation and may require explicit representation in large-scale models.

scholarly journals Biotic vs. abiotic forcing on plankton assemblages varies with season and size class in a large temperate estuary

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens ◽  
Stephen Bollens ◽  
Eric Dexter ◽  
Jeffery Cordell
Keyword(s):  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Multiple Time Scales ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Zooplankton Abundance ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
P Availability ◽  
Lower Estuary

Abstract Large river estuaries experience multiple anthropogenic stressors. Understanding plankton community dynamics in these estuaries provides insights into the patterns of natural variability and effects of human activity. We undertook a 2-year study in the Columbia River Estuary to assess the potential impacts of abiotic and biotic factors on planktonic community structure over multiple time scales. We measured microplankton and zooplankton abundance, biomass and composition monthly, concurrent with measurements of chlorophyll a, nutrient concentrations, temperature and salinity, from a dock in the lower estuary. We then statistically assessed the associations among the abundances of planktonic groups and environmental and biological factors. During the late spring high flow period of both years, the lower estuary was dominated by freshwater and low salinity-adapted planktonic taxa, and zooplankton grazers were more strongly associated with the autotroph-dominated microplankton assemblage than abiotic factors. During the early winter period of higher salinity and lower flow, nutrient (P) availability exerted a strong influence on microplankton taxa, while only temperature and upwelling strength were associated with the zooplankton assemblage. Our results indicate that the relative influence of biotic (grazers) and abiotic (salinity, flow, nutrients and upwelling) factors varies seasonally and inter-annually, and among different size classes in the estuarine food web.

Enhancement of algal growth in Cyanophyta–bacteria systems by carbonaceous compounds

1971 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willy Lange
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Algal Species ◽  
Algal Growth ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Growth Enhancement ◽  
Organic Additives ◽  
Blue Green Algae ◽  
Essential Trace Elements ◽  
Carbon Compounds ◽  
Algal Photosynthesis

Planktonic blue-green algae are always associated with bacteria. This association leads to enhanced or abundant algal growth when atmospheric carbon dioxide becomes a limiting factor and bacteria-assimilable carbonaceous matter is added. The study was carried out with 12 bacteria-associated blue-green species and 22 aliphatic, bacteria-assimilable carbon compounds. A normal, phosphate-rich Zehnder–Gorham culture medium (No. 11) was used. The bacterial assimilation of the aliphatic matter apparently leads to the production of CO2, which accelerates algal photosynthesis. The observed growth effects are not specific for a particular algal species. They appear to be specific mainly for the bacteria which happen to be associated with the algal cells. Similar growth enhancement was observed when the atmosphere was enriched with 0.5% CO2. With this augmented supply of atmospheric CO2, however, the enhancing effect of organic matter disappeared. The presence of the organic additives also appears to delay bacterial assimilation of organic chelating agents which have been added to keep iron and essential trace elements accessible to the algae in an alkaline medium. Axenic cultures of those algal species which cannot use added carbonaceous compounds did not show any effect of the additive. The results suggest that bacteria-assimilable carbon compounds may be one of the factors leading to algal bloom in lakes and ponds, especially when growth is not limited by the supply of phosphorus or other inorganic elements.

Growth characteristics of bloom-forming filamentous green algae in the littoral zone of an experimentally acidified lake

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (10) ◽  
pp. 2251-2263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Turner ◽  
Leif J. Sigurdson ◽  
David L. Findlay ◽  
E. Todd Howell ◽  
Gordon G. C. Robinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Temperature ◽  
Green Algae ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Benthic Algae ◽  
Growth Characteristics ◽  
Experimental Lakes Area ◽  
Filamentous Green Algae ◽  
High Photosynthetic Capacity ◽  
Major Factors

Filamentous green algae, predominantly Mougeotia and Zygogonium, bloom frequently in the littoral zones of acidified lakes. Growth characteristics of Zygogonium-dominated filamentous green algae were studied for 4 yr in an experimentally acidified (pH 4.5) lake at the Experimental Lakes Area of northwestern Ontario. They were present in low abundance as periphyton (algal associations attached to surfaces) during spring, and as blooms of metaphyton (benthic algae unconstrained by surfaces) beginning in midsummer and reaching a maximum in early fall. Metaphytic filamentous green algae displayed high photosynthetic capacity in summer despite the oligotrophic nature of the acidified lake. The major factors controlling photosynthetic rates of Zygogonium were similar to those controlling Mougeotia, and included algal crowding, irradiance, dissolved inorganic carbon, and water temperature. Rates of photosynthesis were negatively dependent upon algal crowding, so that highest rates were associated with minimum algal crowding. Light requirements for photosynthesis were higher than those of the epilithon, which were dominant prior to acidification. The dependence of photosynthesis on ambient concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon was partly regulated by water temperature. Anthropogenically caused releases from growth limitations (e.g., increased availability of limiting nutrients, increased water temperature, and extension of the growing season) may cause proliferation of filamentous green algae in the future.

Growth, photosynthesis, and extracellular organic release in colonized and axenic Myriophyllum spicatum

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (12) ◽  
pp. 3429-3438 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Godmaire ◽  
C. Nalewajko
Keyword(s):  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Myriophyllum Spicatum ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Release Rates ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
Bicarbonate Uptake ◽  
Algal Photosynthesis ◽  
Major Nutrients ◽  
Carbon Concentrations

Growth and photosynthesis of axenic and colonized Myriophyllum were compared to test the validity of using axenic plants as controls in the quantification of extracellular organic carbon (EOC) release. Axenic plants were characterized by lower growth rates that could be attributed to the unavailability of some major nutrients other than N, P, or C and (or) micronutrients in the culture medium. Vmax, the maximum rate of bicarbonate uptake, and Pmax, the maximum light-saturated rate of photosynthesis, of nonaxenic Myriophyllum were significantly higher than those of axenic plants. These differences could be attributed to epiphytic algal photosynthesis. At subsaturating dissolved inorganic carbon concentrations (below 15 mg C ∙ L−1), both plants achieved similar rates of photosynthesis but differed in the kinetics of EOC release. In short-term incubation (2–6 h), 14C-EOC accounted for 0.2–0.4% of photosynthesis, and total EOC amounted to 1.3–3.8%. 14C-EOC consisted primarily (≥ 60%) of low molecular weight products (≤ 1500). No differences were apparent in size distribution patterns of 14C-EOC from axenic and nonaxenic Myriophyllum and at different dissolved inorganic carbon concentrations. Axenic plants generally showed lower rates of EOC release (in absolute values). On colonized Myriophyllum, the contribution of the epiphytes to the EOC release pool was found to be low (≤ 20% of 14C-EOC) and could partly explain the greater EOC release rates of nonaxenic plants. However, our results are not totally conclusive because the lower growth rate of axenic plants could also be responsible for the lower photosynthetic and EOC release rates of these plants.

scholarly journals Acidification and Deoxygenation of the Northwestern Japan/East Sea

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 953
Author(s):  
Pavel Tishchenko ◽  
Vyacheslav Lobanov ◽  
Dmitry Kaplunenko ◽  
Sergey Sagalaev ◽  
Petr Tishchenko
Keyword(s):  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Empirical Relationship ◽  
Peter The Great Bay ◽  
Japan Sea ◽  
East Sea ◽  
Total Alkalinity ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Northwestern Part ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Japan Sea Proper Water

Seasonal hypoxia in the bottom waters of the Peter the Great Bay (PGB) of the Japan/East Sea (JES) occurs in summer. Using the empirical relationship between dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH obtained for hypoxic conditions and available historical DO data, acidification rates were estimated. Carefully sampled time-series observations from the northwestern part of the JES, carried out from 1999 to 2014 along the 132°20′ E and 134°00′ E longitudes, were chosen to determine the interannual variability of the sea’s hydrochemical parameters (DO, pH, and TA—the total alkalinity phosphates, nitrate, and silicates). To limit the effects of seasonal and spatial variability, only data obtained in the warm period were used. Additionally, all data from depths shallower than 500 m were discarded because they are affected by high natural variability, mostly due to strong mesoscale dynamic structures. Our results demonstrated that the pH and DO concentrations measured in the Upper Japan Sea Proper Water (750 m), Lower Japan Sea Proper Water (1250, 1750, 2250 m), and Bottom Water (3000 m) have been decreasing in recent years. On the other hand, calculated normalized dissolved inorganic carbon (NDIC), CO2 partial pressure (pCO2), and measured nutrient concentrations have been increasing. Maximum rates of acidification and deoxygenation are occurring at around 750 m. The annual rate of increase of pCO2 in the water exceeds the atmospheric rate more than 2-fold at a depth of 750 m. The observed variability of the hydrochemical properties can be explained by the combination of the slowdown ventilation of the vertical water column and eutrophication. However, the results obtained here are valid for the subpolar region of the JES, not for the whole sea. The synchronization of the deoxygenation of the open part of the JES and PGB has been found.

scholarly journals METABOLISMO LÍQUIDO DA MATÉRIA ORGÂNICA, CALCIFICAÇÃO E FLUXOS DE DIÓXIDO DE CARBONO EM DOIS RECIFES COSTEIROS SUJEITOS A DIFERENTES GRAUS DE IMPACTO: COROA VERMELHA E TAIPÚS DE FORA, BAHIA

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Friederichs Landim de Souza ◽  
Thaís Bomfim Santana
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Partial Pressure ◽  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Reef Flat ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Total Alkalinity ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Partial Pressure ◽  
Saturation State ◽  
Anthropogenic Inputs ◽  
Thermodynamic Conditions

This study intended to compare physical and chemical variables, net ecosystem metabolism (production – respiration) and calcification-carbonate dissolution rates in two coastal reefs subject to different levels of anthropogenic inputs of nutrients and organic matter. The coast surrounding Coroa Vermelha reef presented a higher degree of urbanization and touristic activities than Taipus de Fora at the time of sampling. The temperature, dissolved inorganic nutrients, total alkalinity, and total suspended solids were significantly higher in Coroa Vermelha reef, probably as a result of the anthropogenic inputs. These variables in Taipus de Fora were comparable to those found in the literature for Recife de Fora, an offshore protected reef and other less impacted reefs.  Total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon and carbon dioxide partial pressure were lower and pH was higher in the reef flat than at the surrounding seawater. There was a prevalence of an influx of atmospheric carbon dioxide to reef water, net autotrophy and calcification. A significant correlation was observed between net calcification and net community metabolism. The benthic photosynthesis in the reef flat during low tide decreases the carbon dioxide partial pressure and increases the aragonite saturation state, establishing thermodynamic conditions that favor calcification.   

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