New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Nutrient demand and availability related to growth among natural assemblages of phytoplankton

E. WHITE G. PAYNE S. PICKMERE P. WOODS

Taupo Research Laboratory
Division of Marine and Freshwater Science
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
P. O. Box 415, Taupo
New Zealand

Abstract In the summer of 1984/85 water samples from 10 Central Volcanic Plateau lakes were examined for a variety of plant nutrient components, and the plankton were subjected to three short term physiological assays which indicate nutrient demand and to a 4 d growth assay. In samples from four of the lakes plankton were exposed to a surfeit of phosphorus, for they were bathed in substantial concentrations (> 3 mg P rrr³) of dissolved reactive phosphorus and their capacity to accumulate this nutrient was low (< 10% of initial phosphorus content in 4 h), indicating that their phosphorus stores were substantially full. In samples from all 10 lakes, plankton biomass increase (measured by change in chlorophyll a concentration) was prevented by shortage of nutrient nitrogen.

Keywords nitrogen; phosphorus; luxury uptake; seston ratios; ammonium enhancement; chlorophyll a\ nutrient limitation; growth; biomass; batch culture

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 1986, Vol. 20: 199-208 Received 9 July 1985; accepted 18 September 1985

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (805K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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