Response of a Stoichiometrically Imbalanced Ecosystem to Manipulation of Nutrient Supplies and Ratios

Authors

• Zarraz M. Lee, Arizona State UniversityFollow
• Laura Steger, Arizona State University
• Jessica R. Corman, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
• Marc Neveu, Arizona State University
• Amisha T. Poret-Peterson, Arizona State University
• Valeria Souza, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
• James J. Elser, Arizona State University

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2015

Citation

PLoS ONE 10(4): e0123949

Comments

© 2015 Lee et al.

Open access

DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0123949

Abstract

Cuatro Ciénegas Basin (CCB) is a desert ecosystem that hosts a large diversity of water bodies. Many surface waters in this basin have imbalanced nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P) stoichiometry (total N:P > 100 by atoms), where P is likely to be a limiting nutrient. To investigate the effects of nutrient stoichiometry on planktonic and sediment ecosystem components and processes, we conducted a replicated in situ mesocosm experiment in Lagunita, a shallow pond located in the southwest region of the basin. Inorganic N and P were periodically added to mesocosms under three different N:P regimes (P only, N:P = 16 and N:P = 75) while the control mesocosms were left unamended. After three weeks of fertilization, more than two thirds of the applied P was immobilized into seston or sediment. The rapid uptake of P significantly decreased biomass C:P and N:P ratios, supporting the hypothesis that Lagunita is P-limited. Meanwhile, simultaneous N and P enrichment significantly enhanced planktonic growth, increasing total planktonic biomass by more than 2- fold compared to the unenriched control.With up to 76% of added N sequestered into the seston, it is suspected that the Lagunita microbial community also experienced strong Nlimitation. However, when N and P were applied at N:P = 75, the microbes remained in a P-limitation state as in the untreated control. Two weeks after the last fertilizer application, seston C:P and N:P ratios returned to initial levels but chlorophyll a and seston C concentrations remained elevated. Additionally, no P release from the sediment was observed in the fertilized mesocosms. Overall, this study provides evidence that Lagunita is highly sensitive to nutrient perturbation because the biota is primarily P-limited and experiences a secondary N-limitation despite its high TN:TP ratio. This study serves as a strong basis to justify the need for protection of CCB ecosystems and other low-nutrient microbedominated systems from anthropogenic inputs of both N and P.