Title |
Shifts in Lake N:P Stoichiometry and Nutrient Limitation Driven by Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition
|
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Published in |
Science, November 2009
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DOI | 10.1126/science.1176199 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
James J. Elser, Tom Andersen, Jill S. Baron, Ann-Kristin Bergström, Mats Jansson, Marcia Kyle, Koren R. Nydick, Laura Steger, Dag O. Hessen |
Abstract |
Human activities have more than doubled the amount of nitrogen (N) circulating in the biosphere. One major pathway of this anthropogenic N input into ecosystems has been increased regional deposition from the atmosphere. Here we show that atmospheric N deposition increased the stoichiometric ratio of N and phosphorus (P) in lakes in Norway, Sweden, and Colorado, United States, and, as a result, patterns of ecological nutrient limitation were shifted. Under low N deposition, phytoplankton growth is generally N-limited; however, in high-N deposition lakes, phytoplankton growth is consistently P-limited. Continued anthropogenic amplification of the global N cycle will further alter ecological processes, such as biogeochemical cycling, trophic dynamics, and biological diversity, in the world's lakes, even in lakes far from direct human disturbance. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 18 | 3% |
Canada | 7 | 1% |
United Kingdom | 5 | <1% |
Germany | 4 | <1% |
Spain | 3 | <1% |
China | 3 | <1% |
Switzerland | 3 | <1% |
France | 2 | <1% |
Brazil | 2 | <1% |
Other | 12 | 2% |
Unknown | 573 | 91% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 140 | 22% |
Researcher | 122 | 19% |
Student > Master | 98 | 16% |
Professor > Associate Professor | 43 | 7% |
Student > Bachelor | 41 | 6% |
Other | 102 | 16% |
Unknown | 86 | 14% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 230 | 36% |
Environmental Science | 192 | 30% |
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 56 | 9% |
Engineering | 10 | 2% |
Chemistry | 6 | <1% |
Other | 19 | 3% |
Unknown | 119 | 19% |