Atmospheric nitrogen deposition is associated with elevated phosphorus limitation of lake zooplankton

Here, we present data that for the first time suggests that the effects of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on nutrient limitation extend into the food web. We used a novel and sensitive assay for an enzyme that is over-expressed in animals growing under dietary phosphorus (P) deficiency (alkalin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology letters 2010-10, Vol.13 (10), p.1256-1261
Main Authors: Elser, James J, Peace, Angela L, Kyle, Marcia, Wojewodzic, Marcin, McCrackin, Michelle L, Andersen, Tom, Hessen, Dag O
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Atmosphere - chemistry
Biological and medical sciences
Daphnia
Ecology
Environmental Monitoring
Enzymes
Food Chain
Food chains
Fresh water ecosystems
Freshwater
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Holopedium
Lakes
Nitrogen - analysis
Nitrogen deposition
Norway
Nutrients
Phosphorus - analysis
phosphorus limitation
stoichiometry
Synecology
Water - chemistry
zooplankton
Zooplankton - metabolism
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Summary:Here, we present data that for the first time suggests that the effects of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on nutrient limitation extend into the food web. We used a novel and sensitive assay for an enzyme that is over-expressed in animals growing under dietary phosphorus (P) deficiency (alkaline phosphatase activity, APA) to assess the nutritional status of major crustacean zooplankton taxa in lakes across a gradient of atmospheric N deposition in Norway. Lakes receiving high N deposition had suspended organic matter (seston) with significantly elevated carbon:P and N:P ratios, indicative of amplified phytoplankton P limitation. This P limitation appeared to be transferred up the food chain, as the cosmopolitan seston-feeding zooplankton taxa Daphnia and Holopedium had significantly increased APA. These results indicate that N deposition can impair the efficiency of trophic interactions by accentuating stoichiometric food quality constraints in lake food webs.
ISSN:1461-023X
1461-0248
DOI:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01519.x