Minding Their Ps and Ns

摘要

In the mid-20th century, Alfred Redfield posited that the bulk ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus atoms (N:P) in marine microorganisms should maintain a relatively constant value of ~16. Work since then has shown that the ratio indeed remains relatively constant across many environments and time scales, including deep oceans and coastal waters, but questions remain about whether innate biochemical or environmental factors are responsible.