Original paper
Nutrient limitation in a hypereutrophic Florida lake
Aldridge, Frederick J.; Schelske, Claire L.; Carrick, Hunter J.
Archiv für Hydrobiologie Volume 127 Number 1 (1993), p. 21 - 37
32 references
published: Apr 19, 1993
DOI: 10.1127/archiv-hydrobiol/127/1993/21
ArtNo. ESP141012701002, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
Nutrient enrichment bioassays (NEB) with natural phytoplankton communities were used in Lake Apopka, a hypereutrophic lake in Florida, to determine growth-limiting nutrients in 20 monthly experiments conducted from December 1989 through June 1991. A 2 x 2 factorial design with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) was employed in experiments conducted under laboratory conditions. In 19 of the 20 experiments, N was either the primary limiting nutrient or co-limiting with P. P was the primary limiting nutrient in only one experiment. We conclude that N is the primary limiting nutrient because the water of Lake Apopka generally contains large supplies of P in the form of polyphosphate that can be utilized for phytoplankton growth when the water is enriched with N. Because the lake has high standing crops of phytoplankton (average chlorophyll-a of 100 µg/L) and total P concentrations (200 µg P/L), it also must be concluded that N limitation of phytoplankton production in Lake Apopka is the result of excessive P loading to the lake.
Keywords
bioassays • hypereutrophic • polyphosphate • Lake Apopka • floris