Nutrient limitation of algal growth and nitrogen fixation in a tropical alpine lake, Lake Titicaca (Peru/Bolivia)

Wurtsbaugh, Wayne A.; Vincentr, W. F.; Tapia, Rene Alfaro; Vincent, Connie L.; Richerson, Peter J.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.1985.tb00191.x

Cited by 69 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…In many years, winter mixing is incomplete, particularly in years of high winter temperatures . The lake is nitrogen-limited (Wurtsbaugh et al, 1985, with a dissolved inorganic nitrogen to soluble reactive phosphorus ratio of < 3:1. The major source of nitrogen is nitrogen fixation; most external nitrogen and phosphorus loading occurs in stream flow during summer months.…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of the Lake Titicaca basin and its diatom flora over the last ~370,000years

Fritz

Baker

Tapia

et al. 2012

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of the Lake Titicaca basin and its diatom flora over the last ~370,000years

Fritz

Baker

Tapia

et al. 2012

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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“…However, studies from tropical latitudes have found N more likely to be limiting than P (Vincent et al 1984, Wurtsbaugh et al 1985, Dávalos et al 1989, Lewis 1996, 2002. Contrary to the concept of a single limiting nutrient, the concept of N and P co-limitation has been put forward by various researchers Wurtsbaugh 2008, Sterner 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing nutrient limitation in a subtropical reservoir

Muhid

Burford

2012

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There is debate about the relative importance of controlling anthropogenic nitrogen (N) versus phosphorus (P) inputs to limit algal growth in lakes and reservoirs. Our study examined nutrient responses in a subtropical reservoir using short-term algal bioassays on 3 occasions, once during the austral winter and twice during the austral summer. Measurement of photosynthetic yield (Fv/Fm) was used to determine the response to nutrient addition. For the 2 summer sampling occasions, the photosynthetic yields of the N+P treatments were significantly higher than the control. At some sites and on some occasions there was a response to P or N alone, but there was no consistent pattern. The one winter sampling occasion had no response to nutrient addition. Overall, the magnitude of the photosynthetic yield of algal samples correlated with nitrate/nitrite (NO 2 − /NO 3 − ) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations, but not with ammonium (NH 4 + ), or dissolved organic N (DON) or P (DOP), despite relatively high concentrations of DON. Therefore we concluded that both N and P co-limited the growth of phytoplankton in the 2 austral summer sampling occasions. This contrasted with high N:P ratios and low P concentrations observed, which suggested that the reservoir was most likely to be P limited. This study highlights the importance of determining algal responses to nutrients and measures nutrient concentrations and ratios to determine whether N or P should be controlled to prevent algal blooms.

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“…However, these optical separations may be difficult due to the complex composition of compounds that make up DOC (Green and Blough 1994;Blough and Green 1995). Similar approaches to developing a third axis could be taken with regard to refining the relationships between nutrients and productivity by adding an axis to incorporate nutrient limitation or co-limitation by nitrogen or micronutrients (e.g., Wurtsbaugh et al 1985;Morris and Lewis 1988;Elser et al 1990). …”

Section: Increases Attenuation Of Solar Radiationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dissolved organic carbon and nutrients as regulators of lake ecosystems: Resurrection of a more integrated paradigm

Williamson

Morris

Pace

et al. 1999

Limnology & Oceanography

359

298

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The primary interpretive paradigm used to study lakes is their trophic status. Oligotrophic lakes have low nutrient loading and low productivity, while eutrophic lakes have high nutrients and high productivity. The strong empirical relationship between nutrient loading and productivity is a valuable tool for teaching, for research, and for management of lakes. In order to incorporate the variety of other known anthropogenic impacts on lakes, however, lake characterization needs to extend beyond the nutrient-productivity paradigm. For example, acid precipitation, heavy metal and toxic organic contaminants, increases in UV radiation, and global warming are all recognized threats to lake ecosystems. One of the key characteristics of lakes that determines how they respond to disturbances such as these is their concentration of colored dissolved organic carbon (CDOC). Here we argue that a paradigm that includes CDOC (using the absorption coefficient at 320 nm as a proxy) as well as nutrients will be useful in predicting and understanding the response of lake ecosystems to multiple stressors. We propose to resurrect the CDOC axis that was proposed by investigators earlier this century and to extend it by adding some operational definitions to permit placing some of the major lake types on the axes in a way that will help us to better understand the structure, function, and response to disturbance of lake ecosystems that are subject to natural and anthropogenic environmental changes at the local, regional, and global scales. Data from a few diverse lakes and a successional sequence in Glacier Bay, Alaska, are used to illustrate the potential utility of the 2-axis model in separating lake types.The most commonly used paradigm for studying lake ecosystems defines lakes in terms of their trophic status. Lakes with low nutrients and low organic production are considered oligotrophic, while those with high nutrient inputs and organic productivity are eutrophic (Wetzel 1983). This paradigm has been adopted by the general ecological community as well as limnologists and is in general use in introductory ecology and limnology textbooks. The trophic status paradigm is supported by a particularly strong empirical relationship between chlorophyll and phosphorus (Vollenweider 1968;Dillon and Rigler 1974;McCauley et al. 1989), by comparative studies and whole-lake experiments that have clearly demonstrated the role of nutrients and grazers in eutrophication Pace 1984; Carpenter et al. 1991), and by the widespread success of remediation of AcknowledgmentsWe thank Dan Engstrom for stimulating discussions on the role of DOC in the succession of lakes in the Glacier Bay chronosequence, Sheri Fritz, Tom Frost, and Bruce Hargreaves for providing feedback on some of these ideas in their early stages of development, Dave Krabbenhoft for discussions on Hg, and Philip Singer and James Symons for introducing us to the literature on water treatment disinfection by-products and DOC. Sheri Fritz provided the unpublished data on Brush La...

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Nutrient limitation of algal growth and nitrogen fixation in a tropical alpine lake, Lake Titicaca (Peru/Bolivia)

Cited by 69 publications

References 27 publications

Evolution of the Lake Titicaca basin and its diatom flora over the last ~370,000years

Evolution of the Lake Titicaca basin and its diatom flora over the last ~370,000years

Assessing nutrient limitation in a subtropical reservoir

Dissolved organic carbon and nutrients as regulators of lake ecosystems: Resurrection of a more integrated paradigm

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