Dissolved reactive phosphorus release from sediments beneath a freshwater cage aquaculture development in West Scotland

Sediments below Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolt cage rearing units in Loch Tralaig, a small freshwater loch in Western Scotland, were studied to assess the potential for waste products, such as fish faeces, uneaten or egested feed pellets, to release dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) from sediments.Replicate cores were incubated in the dark at 10 °C for 10 days, with the overlying water column constantly aerated. In a parallel experiment, cores were incubated under the same conditions, but with a 5 % formalin solution added to the overlying water to inhibit microbial activity.Results indicated that DRP release rates from unsterilised aerobic sediments beneath cages is an order of magnitude higher than those at a control site. Biotic activity is therefore seen to be of little influence in controlling aerobic release of DRP from undercage sediments.     

Nitrogen and phosphorus addition differentially enhance seed production of dominant species in a temperate steppe

Previous studies have demonstrated changes in plant growth and reproduction in response to nutrient availability, but responses of plant growth and reproduction to multiple levels of nutrient enrichment remain unclear. In this study, a factorial field experiment was performed with manipulation of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability to examine seed production of the dominant species, Stipa krylovii, in response to N and P addition in a temperate steppe. There were three levels of N and P addition in this experiment, including no N addition (0 g N m⁻² year⁻¹), low N addition (10 g N m⁻² year⁻¹), and high N addition (40 g N m⁻² year⁻¹) for N addition treatment, and no P addition (0 g P m⁻² year⁻¹), low P addition (5 g P m⁻² year⁻¹), and high P addition (10 g P m⁻² year⁻¹) for P addition treatment. Low N addition enhanced seed production by 814%, 1371%, and 1321% under ambient, low, and high P addition levels, respectively. High N addition increased seed production by 2136%, 3560%, and 3550% under ambient, low, and high P addition levels, respectively. However, P addition did not affect seed production in the absence of N addition, but enhanced it under N addition. N addition enhanced seed production mainly by increasing the tiller number and inflorescence abundance per plant, whereas P addition stimulated it by decreasing the plant density yet stimulating height of plants and their seed number per inflorescence. Our results indicate seed production is not limited by P availability but rather by N availability in the temperate steppe, whereas seed production will be increased by P addition when N availability is improved. These findings enable a better understanding of plant reproduction dynamics in the temperate steppe under intensified nutrient enrichment and can inform their improved management in the future.     

Gill raker variation and the feeding niche of some temperate and tropical freshwater fishes

Synopsis Variability in the mean number of gill rakers was examined in 17 tropical (Panama) and 16 temperate (Canada) freshwater fishes. Ranges for an additional 16 temperate species were obtained from the literature. Variance in gill raker number within species was significantly greater in the tropical species. The tropical species also showed significantly greater dispersion of the species means when among-species variation was compared to an overall mean for each latitude. The reduced among-species variation observed in the temperate species appears to result from a scarcity of high raker means in small, stream species of Canada. This study offers no evidence for the existence of greater feeding specialization among small, primarily stream fishes in the neotropics. The data suggest that the food resource spectrum utilized by these species may be shorter at the higher latitudes examined.     

Nitrogen and phosphorus resorption in trees of a Mexican tropical dry forest

Resorption efficiency (RE) and proficiency, foliar nutrient concentrations, and relative soil nutrient availability were determined during 3 consecutive years in tree species growing under contrasting topographic positions (i.e., top vs. bottom and north vs. south aspect) in a tropical dry forest in Mexico. The sites differed in soil nutrient levels, soil water content, and potential radiation interception. Leaf mass per area (g m^–2) increased during the growing season in all species. Soil P availability and mean foliar P concentrations were generally higher at the bottom than at the top site during the 3 years of the study. Leaf N concentrations ranged from 45.4 to 31.4 mg g^–1. Leaf P varied from 2.3 to 1.8 mg g^–1. Mean N and P RE varied among species, occasionally between top and bottom sites, and were higher in the dry than in the wet years of study. Senesced-leaf nutrient concentrations (i.e., a measure of resorption proficiency) varied from 13.7 to 31.2 mg g^–1 (N) and 0.4 to 3.3 mg g^–1 (P) among the different species and were generally indicative of incomplete nutrient resorption. Phosphorus concentrations in senesced leaves were higher at the bottom than at the top site and decreased from the wettest to the the driest year. Soil N and P availability were significantly different in the north- and south-facing slopes, but neither nutrient concentrations of mature and senesced leaves nor RE differed between aspects. Our results suggest that water more than soil nutrient availability controls RE in the Chamela dry forest, while resorption proficiency may be interactively controlled by both nutrient and water availability.     

Regeneration of inorganic phosphorus and nitrogen from decomposition of seston in a freshwater sediment

The mineralization of phosphorus and nitrogen from seston was studied in consolidated sediment from the shallow Lake Arreskov (July and November) and in suspensions without sediment (July). In the suspension experiment, phosphorus and nitrogen were mineralized in the same proportions as they occurred in the seston. During the 30 days suspension experiment, 47 and 43% of the particulate phosphorus and nitrogen, respectively, was mineralized with constant rates.Addition of seston to the sediment had an immediate enhancing effect on oxygen uptake, phosphate and ammonia release, whereas nitrate release decreased due to denitrification. The enhanced rates lasted for 2–5 weeks, while the decrease in nitrate release persisted throughout the experiment. The increase in oxygen uptake (equivalent to 21% of the seston carbon) was, however, only observed in the July experiment. The release of phosphorus and nitrogen from seston decomposing on the sediment surface differed from the suspension experiments. Thus, between 91 and 111% of the phosphorus in the seston was released during the experiments. Due to opposite directed effects on ammonium and nitrate release, the resulting net release of nitrogen was relatively low.A comparison of C/N/P ratios in seston, sediment and flux rates indicated that nitrogen was mineralized faster than phosphorus and carbon. Some of this nitrogen was lost through denitrification and therefore not measurable in the flux of inorganic nitrogen ions. This investigation also suggests that decomposition of newly settled organic matter in sediments have indirect effects on sediment-water exchanges (e.g. by changing of redox potentials and stimulation of denitrification) that modifies the release of mineralized phosphate and nitrogen from the sediment.     

Nitrogen cycling and anthropogenic impact in the tropical interamerican seas

We discuss the mechanisms leading to nutrient limitation in tropical marine systems, with particular emphasis on nitrogen cycling in Caribbean ecosystems. We then explore how accelerated nutrient cycling from human activities is affecting these systems.Both nitrogen and phosphorus exert substantial influence on biological productivity and structure of tropical marine ecosystems. Offshore planktonic communities are largely nitrogen limited while nearshore ecosystems are largely phosphorus limited. For phosphorus, the ability of sediment to adsorb and store phosphorus is probably greater for tropical carbonate sediments than for most nearshore sediments in temperate coastal systems. However, the ability of tropical carbonate sediments to take up phosphorus can become saturated as phosphorus loading from human sources increases. The nature of the sediment, the mixing rate between nutrient-laden runoff waters and nutrient-poor oceanic waters and the degree of interaction of these water masses with the sediment will probably control the dynamics of this transition.Nearshore tropical marine ecosystems function differently from their temperate counterparts where coupled nitrification/denitrification serves as an important mechanism for nitrogen depuration. In contrast, nearshore tropical ecosystems are more susceptible to nitrogen loading as depurative capacity of the microbial communities is limited by the fragility of the nitrification link. At the same time, accumulation of organic matter in nearshore carbonate sediments appears to impair their capacity for phosphorus immobilization. In the absence of depurative mechanisms for either phosphorus or nitrogen, limitation for both these nutrients is alleviated and continued nutrient loading fuels the proliferation of nuisance algae.     

The comparative phosphorus requirements of some temperate perennial legumes

The phosphorus (P) responses of seven temperate perennial pasture legumes and two species of lupins were compared in a field trial over a range of nine P rates, from 0 to 800 kg ha^-1. The two lupins produced more than 5 t ha^-1 of dry matter in the absence of added P and showed no response to the fertiliser. In contrast, the pasture legumes initially failed to grow without added P and responded to applications of between 200 and 800 kg ha^-1. At the higher rates of P, dry matter production of the pasture legumes was equivalent to that of the lupins.In the first 2 years of the trial; the most productive pasture legume species at the higher rates of added P were also the most productive at the lower rates. Phosphorus requirements for 90% of maximum yield varied greatly between species, but were closely related to maximum yield. Thus species with low P requirements for maximum yield were not necessarily P-efficient species. In the third and subsequent years of the trial Lotus corniculatus performed better than the other pasture legumes at the lower rates of added P. In contrast to other studies Lotus pedunculatus showed no ability to outyield Trifolium repens at low rates of P. Critical P concentrations of the pasture species for the late spring-early summer period declined in the order Trifolium repens (0.34%) > Lotus pedunculatus (0.30%) > Triofolium pratense (0.28%) > Trifolium hybridum (0.27%) > Trifolium ambiguum (0.26%) > Lotus corniculatus (0.23%).Mineralisable nitrogen (N) levels were determined in soils under three species in the 7th year of the trial. At the lowest rates of added P, mineralisable N levels were much higher under Lupinus polyphyllus than under Trifolium repens or Lotus corniculatus. With increasing P rate, levels under the latter species increased, and at 100 kg P ha^-1 were equivalent to those under the lupin with no added P.     

Global trends in senesced-leaf nitrogen and phosphorus

Aim Senesced‐leaf litter plays an important role in the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. While green‐leaf nutrients have been reported to be affected by climatic factors at the global scale, the global patterns of senesced‐leaf nutrients are not well understood. Location Global. Methods Here, bringing together a global dataset of senesced‐leaf N and P spanning 1253 observations and 638 plant species at 365 sites and of associated mean climatic indices, we describe the world‐wide trends in senesced‐leaf N and P and their stoichiometric ratios. Results Concentration of senesced‐leaf N was highest in tropical forests, intermediate in boreal, temperate, and mediterranean forests and grasslands, and lowest in tundra, whereas P concentration was highest in grasslands, lowest in tropical forests and intermediate in other ecosystems. Tropical forests had the highest N : P and C : P ratios in senesced leaves. When all data were pooled, N concentration significantly increased, but senesced‐leaf P concentration decreased with increasing mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP). The N : P and C : P ratios also increased with MAT and MAP, but C : N ratios decreased. Plant functional type (PFT), i.e. life‐form (grass, herb, shrub or tree), phylogeny (angiosperm versus gymnosperm) and leaf habit (deciduous versus evergreen), affected senesced‐leaf N, P, N : P, C : N and C : P with a ranking of senesced‐leaf N from high to low: forbs ≈ shrubs ≈ trees > grasses, while the ranking of P was forbs ≈ shrubs ≈ trees < grasses. The climatic trends of senesced‐leaf N and P and their stoichiometric ratios were similar between PFTs. Main conclusions Globally, senesced‐leaf N and P concentrations differed among ecosystem types, from tropical forest to tundra. Differences were significantly related to global climate variables such as MAT and MAP and also related to plant functional types. These results at the global scale suggest that nutrient feedback to soil through leaf senescence depends on both the climatic conditions and the plant composition of an ecosystem.     

Microbial nitrogen and phosphorus co-limitation across permafrost region

The status of plant and microbial nutrient limitation have profound impacts on ecosystem carbon cycle in permafrost areas, which store large amounts of carbon and experience pronounced climatic warming. Despite the long-term standing paradigm assumes that cold ecosystems primarily have nitrogen deficiency, large-scale empirical tests of microbial nutrient limitation are lacking. Here we assessed the potential microbial nutrient limitation across the Tibetan alpine permafrost region, using the combination of enzymatic and elemental stoichiometry, genes abundance and fertilization method. In contrast with the traditional view, the four independent approaches congruently detected widespread microbial nitrogen and phosphorus co-limitation in both the surface soil and deep permafrost deposits, with stronger limitation in the topsoil. Further analysis revealed that soil resources stoichiometry and microbial community composition were the two best predictors of the magnitude of microbial nutrient limitation. High ratio of available soil carbon to nutrient and low fungal/bacterial ratio corresponded to strong microbial nutrient limitation. These findings suggest that warming-induced enhancement in soil nutrient availability could stimulate microbial activity, and probably amplify soil carbon losses from permafrost areas.     

Elemental stoichiometry of freshwater fishes in relation to phylogeny, allometry and ecology

Twenty species of freshwater fishes were collected from Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan and their whole-body carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents and the respective C:N:P ratios were determined. Patterns were examined in intra- and interspecific variation, allometry and variation caused by habitat and trophic level in whole fish while controlling for the role of phylogeny. Stoichiometric variation was greater across than within species, C:N:P allometry was species-specific, nutrient content within a species was somewhat habitat-specific and P concentration showed a strong phylogenetic signal. Stoichiometric relationships with allometry and feeding guild were observed but were not significant in an analysis accounting for non-independence of closely related species. Supportive evidence for the hypothesis that the considerable variation in whole fish phosphorus concentrations could be ascribed to differences in bone and scale development, as previously suggested, is shown. Whole fish Ca:P ratios had a nearly constant stoichiometry consistent with the chemical signature of bone. This result combined with a phylogenetic signal for fish P indicated that the great stoichiometric variability among fish taxa in P content was derived almost entirely from skeletal investment.     

Global forest carbon uptake due to nitrogen and phosphorus deposition from 1850 to 2100

Spatial patterns and temporal trends of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deposition are important for quantifying their impact on forest carbon (C) uptake. In a first step, we modeled historical and future change in the global distributions of the atmospheric deposition of N and P from the dry and wet deposition of aerosols and gases containing N and P. Future projections were compared between two scenarios with contrasting aerosol emissions. Modeled fields of N and P deposition and P concentration were evaluated using globally distributed in situ measurements. N deposition peaked around 1990 in European forests and around 2010 in East Asian forests, and both increased sevenfold relative to 1850. P deposition peaked around 2010 in South Asian forests and increased 3.5‐fold relative to 1850. In a second step, we estimated the change in C storage in forests due to the fertilization by deposited N and P (?C_{ν dep}), based on the retention of deposited nutrients, their allocation within plants, and C:N and C:P stoichiometry. ?C_{ν dep} for 1997–2013 was estimated to be 0.27 ± 0.13 Pg C year^?1 from N and 0.054 ± 0.10 Pg C year^?1 from P, contributing 9% and 2% of the terrestrial C sink, respectively. Sensitivity tests show that uncertainty of ?C_{ν dep} was larger from P than from N, mainly due to uncertainty in the fraction of deposited P that is fixed by soil. ?C_{P dep} was exceeded by ?C_{N dep} over 1960–2007 in a large area of East Asian and West European forests due to a faster growth in N deposition than P. Our results suggest a significant contribution of anthropogenic P deposition to C storage, and additional sources of N are needed to support C storage by P in some Asian tropical forests where the deposition rate increased even faster for P than for N.     

氮添加对森林植物磷含量的影响及其机制

氮沉降对森林生态系统磷循环产生了不可忽视的影响, 尤其是加剧了植物生长的磷限制, 从而使得氮沉降背景下植物磷含量变化备受关注。该文综述了氮添加对森林植物磷含量的影响, 认为氮添加通过促进土壤磷酸酶活性进而提高土壤有效磷含量, 有利于植物的磷吸收并增加植物磷含量。同时, 森林植物磷含量对氮添加的响应还受物种、生活型以及施氮时间长短等因素的影响。基于森林植物磷含量对氮添加响应的差异性, 该文进一步探讨氮富集背景下森林植物磷含量变化的可能机制: 1)外源氮输入通过改变土壤中有效磷含量从而对植物磷的来源产生影响; 2)通过影响植物的根系分泌物、菌根共生和根系形态结构等进而影响植物的磷吸收能力; 3)通过影响植物的磷养分再分配、磷养分重吸收对植物磷利用效率产生影响。综上所述, 外源氮输入使植物磷含量发生改变, 首要原因是土壤有效磷含量的改变, 其次是植物磷吸收能力和磷利用效率的改变起调控作用。     

Global analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation of primary producers in freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems

The cycles of the key nutrient elements nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) have been massively altered by anthropogenic activities. Thus, it is essential to understand how photosynthetic production across diverse ecosystems is, or is not, limited by N and P. Via a large-scale meta-analysis of experimental enrichments, we show that P limitation is equally strong across these major habitats and that N and P limitation are equivalent within both terrestrial and freshwater systems. Furthermore, simultaneous N and P enrichment produces strongly positive synergistic responses in all three environments. Thus, contrary to some prevailing paradigms, freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems are surprisingly similar in terms of N and P limitation.     

Nitrogen and phosphorus recycling in Lake Sammamish,a temperate mesotrophic lake

This paper presents nitrogen and phosphorus budgets for spring and summer for the trophogenic (0–9 m) and tropholytic (9–27 m) zones of Lake Sammamish. The objective of constructing the budgets is to evaluate the efficiency of nutrient recycling and increase knowledge of the overall nutrient dynamics.The budgets reveal that uptake and solubilization are the dominant fluxes and that nutrient recycling is generally efficient, with the possible exception of early spring during the diatom bloom. This leads to greater reductions in the dissolved N and P pools in spring than summer. Sedimentation is greater in spring because of a pulse immediately following the diatom bloom.Solubilization of particulates is much less in the tropholytic zone than the trophogenic zone. This is due to slower decomposition rates there and to the efficiency of solubilization in the overlying trophogenic zone which results in a relatively small particulate influx. Turnover times for the N and P pools are therefore much faster in the trophogenic zone than in the tropholytic zone. In the trophogenic zone, however, the dissolved N pool turns over much more slowly than the dissolved P pool because of its larger size relative to algal growth requirements.Overall there is a net loss of N and P from the water column in spring primarily due to sedimentation and denitrification whilst in summer there is a small net gain because of sediment release and a slight excess of inflow over outflow.The work was supported by National Science Foundation grants DEB 74-20744, BMS 74-20744 and GB 36810F to the International Biological Program, Western Coniferous Biome (US/IBP) and grant R 008512 from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Contribution no. 373 by the Western Coniferous Biome.The work was supported by National Science Foundation grants DEB 74-20744, BMS 74-20744 and GB 36810F to the International Biological Program, Western Coniferous Biome (US/IBP) and grant R 008512 from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Contribution no. 373 by the Western Coniferous Biome.     

Dynamics of nitrogen and phosphorus retention during wetland ecosystem succession

We compared the mechanisms of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal in four young (<15 years old) constructed estuarine marshes with paired mature natural marshes to determine how nutrient retention changes during wetland ecosystem succession. In constructed wetlands, N retention begins as soon as emergent vegetation becomes established and soil organic matter starts to accumulate, which is usually within the first 1–3 years. Accumulation of organic carbon in the soil sets the stage for denitrification which, after 5–10 years, removes approximately the same amount of N as accumulating organic matter, 5–10 g/m²/yr each, under conditions of low N loadings. Under high N loadings, the amount of N stored in accumulating organic matter doubles while N removal from denitrification may increase by an order of magnitude or more. Both organic N accumulation and denitrification provide for long-term reliable N removal regardless of N loading rates. Phosphorus removal, on the other hand, is greatest during the first 1–3 years of succession when sediment deposition and sorption/precipitation of P are greatest. During this time, constructed marshes may retain from 3 g P/m²/yr under low P loadings to as much as 30 g P/m²/yr under high loadings. However, as sedimentation decreases and sorption sites become saturated, P retention decreases to levels supported by organic P accumulation (1–2 g P/m²/yr) and sorption/precipitation with incoming aqueous and particulate Fe, Al and Ca. Phosphorus cycling in wetlands differs from forest and other terrestrial ecosystems in that conservation of P is greatest during the early years of succession, not during the middle or late stages. Conservation of P by wetlands is largely regulated by geochemical processes (sorption, precipitation) which operate independently of succession. In contrast, the conservation of N is controlled by biological processes (organic matter accumulation, denitrification) that change as succession proceeds.     

Nitrogen stable isotopic composition of leaves and soil: Tropical versus temperate forests

Several lines of evidence suggest that nitrogen in most tropical forests is relatively more available than N in most temperate forests, and even that it may function as an excess nutrient in many tropical forests. If this is correct, tropical forests should have more open N cycles than temperate forests, with both inputs and outputs of N large relative to N cycling within systems. Consequent differences in both the magnitude and the pathways of N loss imply that tropical forests should in general be more¹⁵N enriched than are most temperate forests. In order to test this hypothesis, we compared the nitrogen stable isotopic composition of tree leaves and soils from a variety of tropical and temperate forests. Foliar ¹⁵N values from tropical forests averaged 6.5 higher than from temperate forests. Within the tropics, ecosystems with relatively low N availability (montane forests, forests on sandy soils) were significantly more depleted in¹⁵N than other tropical forests. The average ¹⁵N values for tropical forest soils, either for surface or for depth samples, were almost 8 higher than temperate forest soils. These results provide another line of evidence that N is relatively abundant in many tropical forest ecosystems.