Modification of the N:P Ratio in Lakes by in Situ Processes

In situ mesocosms in two Canadian Shield lakes were used to evaluate the contributions of inlake vs. external sources of nitrogen and phosphorus to nutrient budgets and N : P ratios. These mesocosms were designed to have variable exchange with sediments. Half were fertilized with N and P at a ratio great enough to ensure P limitation for most phytoplankton (atomic ratio, 33 : 1); the other half were fertilized at a ratio low enough to cause N limitation (4.4 : 1) in the absence of compensation mechanisms.

Publisher - Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO)

Subjects - Water, Lake; Chemical, Nitrogen; Chemical, Phosphorus

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Citation: Levine SN, Schindler DW. 1992. Modification of the N:P Ratio in Lakes by in Situ Processes. Limnol. Oceanogr.; 37(5):917-935 http://www.aslo.org/lo/toc/vol_37/issue_5/0917.pdf