Do cyanobacteria dominate in eutrophic lakes because they fix atmospheric nitrogen?

1. The sources of nitrogen for phytoplankton were determined for a bloom‐prone lake as a means of assessing the hypothesis that cyanobacteria dominate in eutrophic lakes because of their ability to fix nitrogen when the nitrogen : phosphorous (N : P) supply ratio is low and nitrogen a limiting resource. 2. Nitrogen fixation rates, estimated through acetylene reduction with ¹⁵N calibration, were compared with ¹⁵N‐tracer estimates of ammonium and nitrate uptake monthly during the ice‐free season of 1999. In addition, the natural N stable isotope composition of phytoplankton, nitrate and ammonium were measured biweekly and the contribution of N₂ to the phytoplankton signature estimated with a mixing model. 3. Although cyanobacteria made up 81–98% of phytoplankton biomass during summer and autumn, both assays suggested minimal N acquisition through fixation (<9% for the in‐situ incubations; <2% for stable isotope analysis). Phytoplankton acquired N primarily as ammonium (82–98%), and secondarily as nitrate (15–18% in spring and autumn, but <5% in summer). Heterocyst densities of <3 per 100 fixer cells confirmed low reliance on fixation. 4. The lake showed symptoms of both light and nitrogen limitation. Cyanobacteria may have dominated by monopolizing benthic sources of ammonium, or by forming surface scums that shaded other algae.     

Does N2 fixation meet the nitrogen requirements of heterocystous blue-green algae in shallow eutrophic lakes?

Summary Phytoplankton net carbon uptake and nitrogen fixation were studied in two shallow, eutrophic lakes in South Sweden. Ranges of diurnal net carbon uptake were estimated by subtracting 24-h respiration rates corresponding to 5–20% of P _max, respectively, from daytime carbon uptake values. total nitrogen requirement of the phytoplankton assemblage was determined from the diurnal net carbon uptake, assuming a phytoplankton C:N ratio of 9.5:1. Nitrogen supplied by nitrogen fixation only occasionally corresponded to the demands of the total phytoplankton assemblage. When heterocystous algae made up a substantial proportion (10%) of the total phytoplankton biomass, nitrogen fixation could meet the requirements of heterocystous blue-green algae on c. 50% of the sampling occasions. Nitrogen deficiencies in heterocystous algae were most probably balanced by the simultaneous or sequential assimilation of dissolved inorganic nitrogen. It was concluded that uptake of ammonium or nitrate, regenerated from lake seston and sediment, is the main process by which growth of phytoplankton is maintained during summer in the lake ecosystems studied.     

Phytoplankton uptake of ammonium, nitrate and urea in the Neuse River Estuary, NC, USA

Uptake rates of ammonium, nitrate and urea were measured during the spring, summer and autumn (2001) in the eutrophic, nitrogen (N) limited Neuse River Estuary (NRE), North Carolina, USA. Ammonium was the dominant form of N taken up during the study, contributing approximately half of the total measured N uptake throughout the estuary. Nitrate uptake declined significantly with distance downstream comprising 33% of the total uptake in the upper estuary but only 11 and 16% in the middle and lower estuary, respectively. Urea uptake contributed least to the total pool in the upper estuary (16%), but increased in importance in the middle and lower estuary, comprising 45 and 37% of the total N taken up, respectively. The importance of regenerated N for fuelling phytoplankton productivity in the mesohaline sections of the NRE is demonstrated. The contribution of urea to the regenerated N pool suggests that internal regeneration of dissolved organic N may support a large proportion of the phytoplankton primary production and biomass accumulation in the middle and lower NRE. These results suggest that N-budgets based on dissolved inorganic N uptake rates alone will seriously under estimate phytoplankton N uptake.     

Planktonic nitrogen transformations during a declining cyanobacteria bloom in the Baltic Sea

The uptake of ¹⁵N-labelled nitrogen nutrients (ammonium, urea,nitrate) was studied during the decline of a bloom of nitrogen-fixingcyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea. This was done by sampling anorth-south transect of stations, representing different stagesof the bloom. Comparison with nitrogen fixation data showedthat this process was of minor importance, and that the nitrogenuptake was dominated by regenerated nitrogen, mainly ammonium.From time series incubations for studying nutrient uptake, itappears that the regeneration of ammonium was substantial, butthat the production of urea or nitrate was slow. The integrateddaily uptake was calculated for the 0–15 m interval atfour stations and values ranged between 6 and 21 mmol N m^–2day^–1, of which the regenerated nutrients, ammonium andurea, constituted 71–93%. Nitrate was of minor importanceand the highest nitrate uptake rates were found close to thethermocline (at 15 m) and in the southern part of the Baltic.Comparison with carbon fixation data reported from simultaneousmeasurements at two stations gave C/N uptake ratios of 4.9 and2.1 for integrated daily uptake. Contrary to earlier findings,the concentration of DON increased with increasing salinity(from 15 to 17 µmol l^–1). This was correlated withthe declination of the bloom and is suggested to be a resultof a gradual release of less easily utilized DON from the degradationof cyanobacteria. The C/N ratio of DOM was high, 21–23.     

The role of nitrogen in promoting the toxic cyanophyte Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in a subtropical water reservoir

1. The relative contribution of dissolved and atmospheric nitrogen to promoting dominance of the toxic nitrogen‐fixing cyanobacterium, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii was examined in a subtropical water reservoir, North Pine Reservoir. 2. A combination of process studies in situ and analysis of historical water quality data suggests that nitrogen fixation was not the principal mechanism for acquiring nitrogen and unlikely to be the mechanism whereby C. raciborskii gains a competitive advantage. Ammonium was the preferred nitrogen source, followed by nitrate then nitrogen fixation. 3. Ammonium uptake rates in the euphotic zone were higher in the summer and autumn months compared with winter and spring coinciding with lower ammonium concentrations. Nitrate uptake rates did not appear to vary seasonally and were lower than those for ammonium in the summer, but similar in winter. Nitrate concentrations were higher in winter than summer and generally higher than ammonium concentrations. 4. Ammonium and nitrate uptake rates were similar at light intensities between 10% and 100% of surface light, contrasting with primary productivity which peaked between about 10 to 20% of surface light. Thus the phytoplankton population was adapted to low light conditions but remained able to utilise dissolved inorganic nitrogen over a wide range of light conditions. 5. The ammonium pool in the surface waters was relatively small compared with the phytoplankton uptake rates, and ammonium must therefore be rapidly recycled through the food web over periods of less than 1 h. Short‐term depletion may result, during which time the higher concentrations of nitrate are likely to provide a supplementary supply of nitrogen. 6. The dominance of C. raciborskii in this reservoir is more likely to be due to a superior ability to scavenge and store the low concentrations of phosphate, and a superior adaptation to the low light conditions exacerbated by artificial mixing.     

Uptake of dissolved nitrogen by phytoplankton in a eutrophic subtropical lake

Uptake rates for ananonium, nitrate, urea and dinitrogen byphytoplankton in Lake Okeechobee ranged from 0.58 to 1.52 µmol1^–1 h^–1 among four representative stations duringa short-term study period. Ammonium accounted for 53% of theuptake rates, followed by nitrate (19%), urea (16%) and dinitrogen(12%). Half-saturation constants for nitrogen (N) uptake rangedfrom 8.70 µmol 1^–1 for ammonium, 2.07 iimol 1^–1for urea and 2.21 µmol 1^–1 for nitrate at Southstation. This study reveals spatially varying N uptake rates,particularly N fixation, within a large eutrophic lake.     

Urea Uptake and Carbon Fixation by Marine Pelagic Bacteria and Archaea during the Arctic Summer and Winter Seasons

How Arctic climate change might translate into alterations of biogeochemical cycles of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) with respect to inorganic and organic N utilization is not well understood. This study combined ¹⁵N uptake rate measurements for ammonium, nitrate, and urea with ¹⁵N- and ¹³C-based DNA stable-isotope probing (SIP). The objective was to identify active bacterial and archeal plankton and their role in N and C uptake during the Arctic summer and winter seasons. We hypothesized that bacteria and archaea would successfully compete for nitrate and urea during the Arctic winter but not during the summer, when phytoplankton dominate the uptake of these nitrogen sources. Samples were collected at a coastal station near Barrow, AK, during August and January. During both seasons, ammonium uptake rates were greater than those for nitrate or urea, and nitrate uptake rates remained lower than those for ammonium or urea. SIP experiments indicated a strong seasonal shift of bacterial and archaeal N utilization from ammonium during the summer to urea during the winter but did not support a similar seasonal pattern of nitrate utilization. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences obtained from each SIP fraction implicated marine group I Crenarchaeota (MGIC) as well as Betaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, SAR11, and SAR324 in N uptake from urea during the winter. Similarly, ¹³C SIP data suggested dark carbon fixation for MGIC, as well as for several proteobacterial lineages and the Firmicutes. These data are consistent with urea-fueled nitrification by polar archaea and bacteria, which may be advantageous under dark conditions.     

DIFFERENCES IN GROWTH AND PHYSIOLOGY OF MARINE SYNECHOCOCCUS (CYANOBACTERIA) ON NITRATE VERSUS AMMONIUM ARE NOT DETERMINED SOLELY BY NITROGEN SOURCE REDOX STATE1

The preference of phytoplankton for ammonium over nitrate has traditionally been explained by the greater metabolic cost of reducing oxidized forms of nitrogen. This “metabolic cost hypothesis” implies that there should be a growth disadvantage on nitrate compared to ammonium or other forms of reduced nitrogen such as urea, especially when light limits growth, but in a variety of phytoplankton taxa, this predicted difference has not been observed. Our experiments with three strains of marine Synechococcus (WH7803, WH7805, and WH8112) did not reveal consistently faster growth (cell division) on ammonium or urea as compared to nitrate. Urease and glutamine synthetase (GS) activities varied with nitrogen source in a manner consistent with regulation by cellular nitrogen status via NtcA (rather than by external availability of nitrogen) in all three strains and indicated that each strain experienced some degree of nitrogen insufficiency during growth on nitrate. At light intensities that strongly limited growth, the composition (carbon, nitrogen, and pigment quotas) of WH7805 cells using nitrate was indistinguishable from that of cells using ammonium, but at saturating light intensities, cellular carbon, nitrogen, and pigment quotas were significantly lower in cells using nitrate than ammonium. These and similar results from other phytoplankton taxa suggest that a limitation in some step of nitrate uptake or assimilation, rather than the extra cost of reducing nitrate per se, may be the cause of differences in growth and physiology between cells using nitrate and ammonium.     

Contribution of several nitrogen sources to growth of Alexandrium catenella during blooms in Thau lagoon, southern France

A monitoring program with a weekly sampling frequency over a 15-month period indicates that urea concentrations above a certain threshold level may trigger the blooms of Alexandrium catenella in Thau lagoon. However, urea concentrations were also sometimes related to ammonium and dissolved organic nitrogen concentrations, indicating that the role of urea may not be a direct one. An original approach is used to assess the relative contribution of several nitrogen sources (nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, urea) to growth of A. catenella by comparing nitrogen uptake rates to nitrogen-based growth rates estimated from dilution experiments during four blooms over a 4-year period (2001–2004) in Thau lagoon. Nitrate and nitrite contributed 0.1–14% and 0.1–5% respectively of growth requirements. Ammonium and urea were the main N sources fueling growth of A. catenella (30–100% and 2–59%, respectively). Indirect estimates indicated that an unidentified N source could also contribute significantly to growth at specific times. Concerning ammonium and urea uptake kinetics, half-saturation constants varied between 0.2 and 20 μgat N L⁻¹ for ammonium and between 0.1 and 44 μgat N L⁻¹ over the 4-year period, indicating that A. catenella can have a competitive advantage over other members of the phytoplankton even under low concentrations of ammonium and urea. However, the observed large changes in ammonium and urea uptake kinetics on a short time scale (days) during blooms preclude more precise estimates of those contributions to growth and require further investigation.     

RAPID AMMONIUM UPTAKE BY FRESHWATER PHYTOPLANKTON1

A natural assemblage of freshwater phytoplankton was removed from an oligotrophic lake and grown at N:P supply ratios of 5:1, 15:1 and 45:1 (by atoms) in semicontinuous culture. After a minimum of 31 days at an average daily growth rate of 0.5 d^?1, experiments were conducted examining the time-course of saturated ammonium uptake rates. Cultures grown under the two lowest N:P supply ratios demonstrated greatly elevated initial, specific uptake rates for ammonium and were able to sequester between 7 and 21% of their daily N requirement in less than 5 min. The initial rates declined rapidly but were followed by a subsequent increase and decrease over a 120 min period.     

Hydroponics versus field lysimeter studies of urea, ammonium and nitrate uptake by oilseed rape(Brassica napus L.)

N-fertilizer use efficiencies are affected by their chemical composition and suffer from potential N-losses by volatilization. In a field lysimeter experiment, (15)N-labelled fertilizers were used to follow N uptake by Brassica napus L. and assess N-losses by volatilization. Use of urea with NBPT (urease inhibitor) showed the best efficiency with the lowest N losses (8% of N applied compared with 25% with urea alone). Plants receiving ammonium sulphate, had similar yield achieved through a better N mobilization from vegetative tissues to the seeds, despite a lower N uptake resulting from a higher volatilization (43% of applied N). Amounts of (15)N in the plant were also higher when plants were fertilized with ammonium nitrate but N-losses reached 23% of applied N. In parallel, hydroponic experiments showed a deleterious effect of ammonium and urea on the growth of oilseed rape. This was alleviated by the nitrate supply, which was preferentially taken up. B. napus was also characterized by a very low potential for urea uptake. BnDUR3 and BnAMT1, encoding urea and ammonium transporters, were up-regulated by urea, suggesting that urea-grown plants suffered from nitrogen deficiency. The results also suggested a role for nitrate as a signal for the expression of BnDUR3, in addition to its role as a major nutrient. Overall, the results of the hydroponic study showed that urea itself does not contribute significantly to the N nutrition of oilseed rape. Moreover, it may contribute indirectly since a better use efficiency for urea fertilizer, which was further increased by the application of a urease inhibitor, was observed in the lysimeter study.     

Phytoplankton nitrogen demand and the significance of internal and external nitrogen sources in a large shallow lake (Lake Balaton,Hungary)

Since the middle of 1990s the trend of Lake Balaton towards an increasingly trophic status has been reversed, but N₂-fixing cyanobacteria are occasionally dominant, endangering water quality in summer. The sources of nitrogen and its uptake by growing phytoplankton were therefore studied. Experiments were carried out on samples collected from the middle of the Eastern (Siófok) and Western (Keszthely) basins between February and October 2001. Ammonium, urea and nitrate uptake and ammonium regeneration were measured in the upper 5-cm layer of sediment using the ¹⁵N-technique. Ammonium was determined by an improved microdiffusion assay. N₂ fixation rates were measured by the acetylene-reduction method. Ammonium regeneration rates in the sediment were similar in the two basins. They were relatively low in winter (0.13 and 0.16 μg N cm^?3 day^?1 in the Eastern and Western basin, respectively), increased slowly in the spring (0.38 and 0.45 μg N cm^?3 day^?1) and peaked in late summer (0.82 and 1.29 μg N cm^?3 day^?1, respectively). Ammonium uptake was predominant in spring in the Eastern basin and in summer in the Western basin, coincident with the cyanobacterial bloom. The amount of N₂ fixed was less than one third of the internal load during summer when external N loading was insignificant. Potentially, the phytoplankton N demand could be supported entirely by the internal N load via ammonium regeneration in the water column and sediment. However, the quantity of N from ammonium regeneration in the upper layer of sediment combined with that from the water column would limit the standing phytoplankton crop in spring in both basins and in late summer in the Western basin, especially when the algal biomass increases suddenly.     

Interactions of light, temperature and inorganic nitrogen in controlling planktonic nitrogen utilisation in the Tagus estuary

The effect of light, temperature and ammonium on inorganic nitrogen uptake by phytoplankton was investigated from June 1994 through December 1995 at three sites in the Tagus estuary (Portugal), during high tide of neap tides. Ammonium concentrations higher than 10 M reduced nitrate uptake down to 24% but never prevented it. Below this threshold concentration, nitrate uptake was neither inhibited nor changed. Uptake of both nitrate and ammonium as a function of light intensity exhibited a saturation response. Uptake reduction occurred in the near bottom phytoplankton populations, particularly for nitrate. The ammonium uptake system was less limited by light than the nitrate uptake system, indicating the importance of ammonium as a nitrogen source for the phytoplankton which is likely to experience high changes in light in the well-mixed water column of this estuarine environment. Ammonium uptake was exponentially related to temperature in the upper estuary whereas in the mid and lower estuary this relationship was linear. The effect of temperature on nitrate uptake was linear but far less marked than for ammonium uptake.     

Contribution of several nitrogen sources to growth of Alexandrium catenella during blooms in Thau lagoon,southern France

A monitoring program with a weekly sampling frequency over a 15-month period indicates that urea concentrations above a certain threshold level may trigger the blooms of Alexandrium catenella in Thau lagoon. However, urea concentrations were also sometimes related to ammonium and dissolved organic nitrogen concentrations, indicating that the role of urea may not be a direct one. An original approach is used to assess the relative contribution of several nitrogen sources (nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, urea) to growth of A. catenella by comparing nitrogen uptake rates to nitrogen-based growth rates estimated from dilution experiments during four blooms over a 4-year period (2001–2004) in Thau lagoon. Nitrate and nitrite contributed 0.1–14% and 0.1–5% respectively of growth requirements. Ammonium and urea were the main N sources fueling growth of A. catenella (30–100% and 2–59%, respectively). Indirect estimates indicated that an unidentified N source could also contribute significantly to growth at specific times. Concerning ammonium and urea uptake kinetics, half-saturation constants varied between 0.2 and 20 μgat N L⁻¹ for ammonium and between 0.1 and 44 μgat N L⁻¹ over the 4-year period, indicating that A. catenella can have a competitive advantage over other members of the phytoplankton even under low concentrations of ammonium and urea. However, the observed large changes in ammonium and urea uptake kinetics on a short time scale (days) during blooms preclude more precise estimates of those contributions to growth and require further investigation.     

NITROGENOUS NUTRITION OF ALEXANDRIUM CATENELLA (DINOPHYCEAE) IN CULTURES AND IN THAU LAGOON,SOUTHERN FRANCE1

Alexandrium catenella (Whedon et Kofoid) Balech was isolated from Thau lagoon (northern Mediterranean) and its growth and uptake characteristics measured for nitrate, ammonium, and urea. Although affinity constants did not indicate a preference for ammonium over nitrate, there was a strong inhibition of nitrate uptake by ammonium when both nitrogen (N) sources were present. Nitrogen budgets during growth in cultures revealed major imbalances between decreases in dissolved N and increases in particulate N, indicating excretion of dissolved organic N during the early part of the growth phase and uptake during the later part. A quasi‐unialgal bloom in November 2001 (4×10⁶ cells·L^?1) allowed measurements of uptake of nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, and urea; net and gross growth rate of A. catenella; and grazing rates on this organism. The affinity constants indicate that it is not a strong competitor for the N nutrients tested when these are in low concentrations (<10 μgat N·L^?1), compared with other members of the phytoplankton community. Indirect evidence from cultures indicate that dissolved organic N compounds could be important in triggering those blooms. Finally, the strongly unbalanced growth observed in the field indicates that A. catenella exhibits a storage rather than a growth response to a nutrient pulse and is adapted to low frequency events such as the passage of frontal disturbances. The disappearance of A. catenella was due to grazing that balanced growth at the peak of the bloom.     

The interaction between elevated carbon dioxide and nitrogen nutrition: the physiological and molecular background

AGPase, ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase
GS, glutamine synthetase
GOGAT, glutamate : oxoglutarate amino transferase
NADP-ICDH, NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase
NR, nitrate reductase
OPPP, oxidative pentose phosphate pathway
3PGA, glycerate-3-phosphate
PEPCase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase
Rubisco, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase
SPS, sucrose phosphate-synthase

This review first summarizes the numerous studies that have described the interaction between the nitrogen supply and the response of photosynthesis, metabolism and growth to elevated [CO₂]. The initial stimulation of photosynthesis in elevated [CO₂] is often followed by a decline of photosynthesis, that is typically accompanied by a decrease of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), an accumulation of carbohydrate especially starch, and a decrease of the nitrogen concentration in the plant. These changes are particularly marked when the nitrogen supply is low, whereas when the nitrogen supply is adequate there is no acclimation of photosynthesis, no major decrease in the internal concentration of nitrogen or the levels of nitrogen metabolites, and growth is stimulated markedly. Second, emerging evidence is discussed that signals derived from nitrate and nitrogen metabolites such as glutamine act to regulate the expression of genes involved in nitrate and ammonium uptake and assimilation, organic acid synthesis and starch accumulation, to modulate the sugar-mediated repression of the expression of genes involved in photosynthesis, and to modulate whole plant events including shoot–root allocation, root architecture and flowering. Third, increased rates of growth in elevated [CO₂] will require higher rates of inorganic nitrogen uptake and assimilation. Recent evidence is discussed that an increased supply of sugars can increase the rates of nitrate and ammonium uptake and assimilation, the synthesis of organic acid acceptors, and the synthesis of amino acids. Fourth, interpretation of experiments in elevated [CO₂] requires that the nitrogen status of the plants is monitored. The suitability of different criteria to assess the plant nitrogen status is critically discussed. Finally the review returns to experiments with elevated [CO₂] and discusses the following topics: is, and if so how, are nitrate and ammonium uptake and metabolism stimulated in elevated [CO₂], and does the result depend on the nitrogen supply? Is acclimation of photosynthesis the result of sugar-mediated repression of gene expression, end-product feedback of photosynthesis, nitrogen-induced senescence, or ontogenetic drift? Is the accumulation of starch a passive response to increased carbohydrate formation, or is it triggered by changes in the nutrient status? How do changes in sugar production and inorganic nitrogen assimilation interact in different conditions and at different stages of the life history to determine the response of whole plant growth and allocation to elevated [CO₂]?     

Seasonal nitrogen assimilation and carbon fixation in a fjordic sea loch

Carbon (C) fixation and nitrogen (N) assimilation rates havebeen estimated from ¹⁴C and ¹⁵N techniques for a 12 month periodin a Scottish sea loch. The maximum rate of nitrogen assimilated(29.92 mmol N m^–2 day^–1) was in April at the mostseaward station; similar high rates were experienced duringMay at the other stations. Carbon fixation rates were maximal(488–4047 mg C m^–2day^–1) at the time of highphytoplankton biomass (maximum 8.3 mg m^–3 chlorophylla) during May, whilst nitrate concentrations remained >0.7µ.mol l^–1. C:N assimilation ratios suggest nitrogenlimitation only during the peak of the spring bloom, althoughat times nitrogen (nitrate and ammonium) concentration fellto 0.2 µmol l^–1 in the following months. The verticalstability of the water column, influenced by tidal and riverineflushing, varied along the axis of the loch, resulting in markeddifferences between sampling stations. Although ammonium waspreferentially assimilated by phytoplankton, >50% of productionwas supported by nitrate uptake and only during the summer monthswas the assimilation of ammonium quantitatively important.     

Acidification and alkalinization of lakes by experimental addition of nitrogen compounds

Fertilization of a small lake with ammonium chloride for four years as part of a eutrophication experiment caused it to acidify to pH values as low as 4.6. Implications for acidification of lakes via precipitation polluted with ammonium compounds are discussed.When phosphate was supplied with the ammonium, biological nitrogen uptake, apparently by phytoplankton, was the main mechanism causing acidification. When ammonium was applied without phosphate, it accumulated to high concentrations in solution, after which nitrification caused rapid acidification. In both cases, the whole-lake efficiency of acidification was low, averaging about 13% of the potential acidification of supplied ammonium chloride (Table 2).Subsequent application of phosphate plus sodium nitrate for two years caused the pH of the lake to increase. The efficiency of alkalinization was higher than for acidification, averaging 69% of the potential alkalinization of the supplied sodium nitrate.     

INFLUENCE OF UV-B RADIATION ON NITROGEN UTILIZATION BY A NATURAL ASSEMBLAGE OF PHYTOPLANKTON

A 7‐day mesocosm experiment was conducted in July 1996 to investigate the effects of ambient UV‐B radiation (UVBR) exclusion and two UVBR enhancements above ambient levels on NO₃^?, NH₄⁺ and urea utilization in a natural plankton community (<240 μm) from the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary. The phytoplankton community was dominated by diatoms during the first 3 days and, afterward, by flagellates and dinoflagellates. The results of 4‐h incubations just below the water surface show that, compared with ambient UVBR conditions, UVBR exclusion generally increased NO₃^?, NH₄⁺, and urea uptakes. During the last 4 days of the experiment, the percent increase in the specific uptake rate of urea under excluded UVBR conditions varied between 17% and 130% and was a linear function of the ambient UVBR dose removed. During the first 3 days, the phytoplankton community dominated by diatoms was able to withstand UVBR enhancements without any perceptible effect on nitrogen uptake. However, during the post‐diatom bloom period, UVBR enhancements resulted in decreases in NO₃^?, NH₄⁺, and urea uptake compared with ambient UVBR conditions. The reduction of urea uptake under UVBR enhancements during the last 3 days varied between 23% and 64% and was linearly related to the enhanced UVBR dose. However, the different UVBR treatments did not affect the internal organic nitrogen composition (internal urea, free amino acids, and proteins) of the phytoplankton community experiencing vertical mixing in the mesocosms. The discrepancy between short‐term uptake measurements at the surface and long‐term effects in the mesocosms emphasizes the importance of vertical mixing on UVBR effects in natural ecosystems. This suggests that an increase in ambient UVBR would have a minimal effect on nitrogen utilization by natural phytoplankton assemblages if these are vertically mixed.