Nutrient Enrichment and Planktonic Biomass Ratios in Lakes

Phosphorus (P) to chlorophyll ratios and zoo-plankton-phytoplankton (Z:P) biomass ratios were assessed in 400 temperate lakes over a gradient of phosphorus (P) and with different fish communities. Most of the lakes in this survey were oligotrophic, with a median total P of 7.3 μg P L⁻¹. Thus, the su...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecosystems (New York) 2006-06, Vol.9 (4), p.516-527
Main Authors: Hessen, D.O, Faafeng, B.A, Brettum, P, Andersen, T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Autotrophs
Biological and medical sciences
Biomass
Chlorophyll
Chlorophylls
Community composition
Eutrophication
Food quality
Fresh water ecosystems
freshwater fish
Freshwater fishes
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Lakes
Lentic systems
Nutrient concentrations
Phosphorus
Phytoplankton
Plankton
pollution load
Synecology
trophic relationships
Zooplankton
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Summary:Phosphorus (P) to chlorophyll ratios and zoo-plankton-phytoplankton (Z:P) biomass ratios were assessed in 400 temperate lakes over a gradient of phosphorus (P) and with different fish communities. Most of the lakes in this survey were oligotrophic, with a median total P of 7.3 μg P L⁻¹. Thus, the survey provided information on food web effects during the early phase of eutrophication. There was no tendency toward a reduced yield of autotrophs per unit of P over the gradient covered in this survey. The zooplankton yield per unit of P or chlorophyll a decreased slightly with increased nutrient concentrations, and Z:P biomass ratios decreased with fish community classes, reflecting increased fish predation pressure. However, the variability in biomass ratios within a given range of P and fish class was some 100 times higher than the difference over the gradients. This finding suggests that lake-specific properties, community composition, and food quality are by far the most important determinants of biomass ratios and probably also trophic efficiency in lakes; it further suggests that these factors are superimposed on the general effect of eutrophication, at least up to 30 μg P L⁻¹.
ISSN:1432-9840
1435-0629
DOI:10.1007/s10021-005-0114-6