Role of Nutrient Limitation and Competition in Controlling the Populations of a Diatom and a Blue-Green Alga

摘要

Changing patterns of species composition or seasonal succession in phytoplanktom communities have been observed in freshwater and marine ecosystems. Nutrient uptake and the growth kinetics of different species could be important factors that determine which species dominate in competition although other physical, chemical and biological factors may also be involved. The nutrient kinetics and competition between a diatom, Asterionella formosa, and a blue-green alga, Microcystis aeruginosa, were examined in laboratory studies. Phosphorus and Si, two of the nutrients most often limiting in freshwater lakes, were investigated.