Can short-term and small-scale experiments reflect nutrient limitation on phytoplankton in natural lakes?

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Can short-term and small-scale experiments reflect nutrient limitation on phytoplankton in natural lakes?

Updated：2023-05-16

- Can short-term and small-scale experiments reflect nutrient limitation on phytoplankton in natural lakes?
- Journal of Oceanology and Limnology Vol. 35, Issue 3, Pages: 546-556(2017)
- Affiliations：
  
  1. State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology Institute of Hydrobiology Chinese Academy of Sciences
  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
  3. Huazhong Agricultural University
- Author bio：
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s00343-017-5251-1
  CLC：
- Online First：09 July 2016，
  
  Published：2017
- Accepted：
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Wang, H., Li, Y., Feng, W. et al. Can short-term and small-scale experiments reflect nutrient limitation on phytoplankton in natural lakes?., Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 35, 546–556 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-017-5251-1
DOI：

Wang, H., Li, Y., Feng, W. et al. Can short-term and small-scale experiments reflect nutrient limitation on phytoplankton in natural lakes?., Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 35, 546–556 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-017-5251-1 DOI：

摘要

Abstract

Whether it is necessary to reduce nitrogen (N) and/or phosphorus (P) input to mitigate lake eutrophication is controversial. The controversy stems mainly from differences in time and space in previous studies that support the contrasting ideas. To test the response of phytoplankton to various combinations of nutrient control strategies in mesocosms and the possibility of reflecting the conditions in natural ecosystems with short-term experiments

a 9-month experiment was carried out in eight 800-L tanks with four nutrient level combinations (+N+P

−N+P

+N−P

and −N−P)

with an 18-month whole-ecosystem experiment in eight ~800-m 2 ponds as the reference. Phytoplankton abundance was determined by P not N

regardless of the initial TN/TP level

which was in contrast to the nutrient limitation predicted by the N/P theory. Net natural N inputs were calculated to be 4.9

6.8

1.5

and 3.0 g in treatments +N+P

−N+P

+N−P

and −N−P

respectively

suggesting that N deficiency and P addition may promote natural N inputs to support phytoplankton development. However

the compensation process was slow

as suggested by an observed increase in TN after 3 weeks in −N+P and 2 months in −N−P in the tank experiment

and after 3 months in −N +P and ~3 months in −N−P in our pond experiment. Obviously

such a slow process cannot be simulated in short-term experiments. The natural N inputs cannot be explained by planktonic N-fixation because N-fixing cyanobacteria were scarce

which was probably because there was a limited pool of species in the tanks. Therefore

based on our results we argue that extrapolating short-term

small-scale experiments to large natural ecosystems does not give reliable

accurate results.

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references

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