Interactive effects of N:P ratios and light on nitrogen-fixer abundance
Nitrogen-fixers can contribute significant amounts of nitrogen (N) and impact ecosystem functioning in diverse aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. What determines N-fixer abundance still remains poorly understood. Here we experimentally investigate major environmental controls on the abundance of N-...
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2010
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| Acceso en línea: | https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00301299_v119_n3_p567_Pinto http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00301299_v119_n3_p567_Pinto |
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paper:paper_00301299_v119_n3_p567_Pinto2023-06-08T14:55:42Z Interactive effects of N:P ratios and light on nitrogen-fixer abundance abundance cyanobacterium dominance ecosystem function environmental gradient experimental study freshwater ecosystem green alga light availability light effect nitrogen fixation nutrient availability phosphorus phytoplankton population distribution Anabaena flos-aquae Chlorophyta Cyanobacteria Nitrogen-fixers can contribute significant amounts of nitrogen (N) and impact ecosystem functioning in diverse aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. What determines N-fixer abundance still remains poorly understood. Here we experimentally investigate major environmental controls on the abundance of N-fixers: nitrogen to phosphorus (N:P) ratio and light. We grew a N-fixer, cyanobacterium Anabaena flos-aquae, in a multispecies community of freshwater phytoplankton in replicated factorial design treatments with two N:P ratios and two light levels. We show that low N:P ratios promote the dominance of the N-fixer in the community, but only under high light. Under low light, N:P ratio did not have a significant effect on the abundance of the N-fixer. N fixation occurred at low N:P only and increased with increasing light. In contrast, the density of non N-fixing cyanobacteria did not depend on N:P ratios. Green algae dominated under high N:P and high light only, exhibiting the opposite pattern of dominance to N-fixers. These results are consistent with patterns observed in nature and help explain the N-fixer distribution along the environmental gradients of nutrients and light. © 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Oikos. 2010 https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00301299_v119_n3_p567_Pinto http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00301299_v119_n3_p567_Pinto |
| institution |
Universidad de Buenos Aires |
| institution_str |
I-28 |
| repository_str |
R-134 |
| collection |
Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA) |
| topic |
abundance cyanobacterium dominance ecosystem function environmental gradient experimental study freshwater ecosystem green alga light availability light effect nitrogen fixation nutrient availability phosphorus phytoplankton population distribution Anabaena flos-aquae Chlorophyta Cyanobacteria |
| spellingShingle |
abundance cyanobacterium dominance ecosystem function environmental gradient experimental study freshwater ecosystem green alga light availability light effect nitrogen fixation nutrient availability phosphorus phytoplankton population distribution Anabaena flos-aquae Chlorophyta Cyanobacteria Interactive effects of N:P ratios and light on nitrogen-fixer abundance |
| topic_facet |
abundance cyanobacterium dominance ecosystem function environmental gradient experimental study freshwater ecosystem green alga light availability light effect nitrogen fixation nutrient availability phosphorus phytoplankton population distribution Anabaena flos-aquae Chlorophyta Cyanobacteria |
| description |
Nitrogen-fixers can contribute significant amounts of nitrogen (N) and impact ecosystem functioning in diverse aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. What determines N-fixer abundance still remains poorly understood. Here we experimentally investigate major environmental controls on the abundance of N-fixers: nitrogen to phosphorus (N:P) ratio and light. We grew a N-fixer, cyanobacterium Anabaena flos-aquae, in a multispecies community of freshwater phytoplankton in replicated factorial design treatments with two N:P ratios and two light levels. We show that low N:P ratios promote the dominance of the N-fixer in the community, but only under high light. Under low light, N:P ratio did not have a significant effect on the abundance of the N-fixer. N fixation occurred at low N:P only and increased with increasing light. In contrast, the density of non N-fixing cyanobacteria did not depend on N:P ratios. Green algae dominated under high N:P and high light only, exhibiting the opposite pattern of dominance to N-fixers. These results are consistent with patterns observed in nature and help explain the N-fixer distribution along the environmental gradients of nutrients and light. © 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Oikos. |
| title |
Interactive effects of N:P ratios and light on nitrogen-fixer abundance |
| title_short |
Interactive effects of N:P ratios and light on nitrogen-fixer abundance |
| title_full |
Interactive effects of N:P ratios and light on nitrogen-fixer abundance |
| title_fullStr |
Interactive effects of N:P ratios and light on nitrogen-fixer abundance |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Interactive effects of N:P ratios and light on nitrogen-fixer abundance |
| title_sort |
interactive effects of n:p ratios and light on nitrogen-fixer abundance |
| publishDate |
2010 |
| url |
https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00301299_v119_n3_p567_Pinto http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00301299_v119_n3_p567_Pinto |
| _version_ |
1768544628357726208 |