It Takes Two to Tango: When and Where Dual Nutrient (N & P) Reductions Are Needed to Protect Lakes and Downstream Ecosystems
Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: Preventing harmful algal blooms (HABs) is needed to protect lakes and downstream ecosystems. Traditionally, reducing phosphorus (P) inputs was the prescribed solution for lakes, based on the assumption that P universally limits HAB formation. Reduction of P inputs has decreased HABs in many lakes, but was not successful in others. Thus, the "P-only" paradigm is overgeneralized. Whole-lake experiments indicate that HABs are often stimulated more by combined P and nitrogen (N) enrichment rather than N or P alone, indicating that the dynamics of both nutrients are important for HAB control. The changing paradigm from P-only to consideration of dual nutrient control is supported by studies indicating that (1) biological N fixation cannot always meet lake ecosystem N needs, and (2) that anthropogenic N and P loading has increased dramatically in recent decades. Sediment P accumulation supports long-term internal loading, while N may escape via denitrification, leading to perpetual N deficits. Hence, controlling both N and P inputs will help control HABs in some lakes and also reduce N export to downstream N-sensitive ecosystems. Managers should consider whether balanced control of N and P will most effectively reduce HABs along the freshwater-marine continuum.
Institutions: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Baylor University, Wright State University, University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Florida Sea Grant, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Utah State University
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Chemistry
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Utah State University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Water Resources Research Institute, North Carolina State University, Arkansas Water Resources Center, University of Arkansas, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems, Division of Environmental Biology
Awards: G1148450580, INSPIRE: An Ecologically-Driven Strategy for Ensuring Sustainability of Anthropogenically and Climatically Impacted Lakes, Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Anthropogenic nutrient input drives genetic, functional and taxonomic biodiversity in hypereutrophic Lake Taihu, China, G3458811133, G4096949550, Is Nitrogen Nitrogen? Ecosystem Impacts of Anthropogenic N Sources on Algal Blooms, Hypoxia, and Biogeochemical Cycling in the Neuse River Estuary, NC, Collaborative Research: Evaluating Nutrient Reductions to Control Cyanobacteria and Ensure Large Lake Sustainability: Lake Taihu (China) as a Model for North American Systems, Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Anthropogenic nutrient input drives genetic, functional and taxonomic biodiversity in hypereutrophic Lake Taihu, China, Collaborative Research: An Integrated Approach to Understanding the Function of the Potent Hepatotoxin Microcystin in the Growth & Ecology of Microcystis, G5602345014, G5614916138, The Role of Sediment-Water Column Biogeochemical Feedback in Eutrophication Dynamics of the Neuse River Estuary, NC, G6354599517, G8015246207, G8819497404
OpenAlex ID: W2525084792