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Correlations between trophic indicators

Research of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)

Soil & Water Conservation Society of Metro Halifax (SWCSMH)

Modified: July 06, 2016

(cf. Kerekes, 1983; Mandaville, 2000; and Vollenweider and Kerekes, 1982)

Correlations between trophic indicators

Nitrogen vs Phosphorus:

It should be noted:

that relative to the phosphorus concentrations, the nitrogen/phosphorus ratio, on average, decreases from more than 100 on the oligotrophic side to less than 10 on the eutrophic side. This can be interpreted as a tendency for lakes to shift from phosphorus dependency to nitrogen dependency with increasing trophy;

that specific lakes may deviate from this rule, independent of their trophic characteristics. Hypertrophic lakes, for example, may not be nutrient controlled at all but light-limited instead. Deep mixing and high water replenishment rates may also reduce the effect of nutritional conditions on production.

Generally, lakes are phosphorus limited with Total-N/Total-P ratios >15, and nitrogen limited for Total-N/Total-P ratios <7. For ratios of Total-N/Total-P between 15 and 7, either P or N, or both P and N could be limiting (cf. Figure-1).

The tendency for nitrogen and phosphorus to increase in parallel makes it difficult to determine the relative importance of the two factors in the eutrophication process. Accordingly, it is impossible to speculate solely on the basis of nutrient conditions found in a lake, which one of the two factors is limiting production. This question can only be resolved by careful analysis of all pertinent information.

Figure-1: Nitrogen vs. Phosphorus:

Nitrogen vs. Phosphorus

Ortho-phosphate-P vs. Total-Phosphorus:

With increasing trophy, both among the ortho-phosphate/total phosphorus relationship and the mineral nitrogen/total nitrogen relationship, the mineral component tends to become the dominant fraction. On average, the orthophosphate-P fraction increases from less than 20% for Total-P concentrations of 10 mg/m³ and less, to over 45% for Total-P concentrations of 200 mg/m³ and over. Though the trend is similar, the fractional increase in mineral nitrogen relative to Total-N is less dramatic, increasing from 60% at Total-N concentrations of 500 mg/m³ and less, to 70% at 5000 mg/m³ and over.

For both cases, individual lakes may be at variance with the rule. The importance of these trends is that, with increasing trophy a correspondingly higher fraction of easily metabolized mineral components become available for algal growth. In part, this greater availability depends on the metabolic processes taking place in the lake, but it is also due to a correspondingly greater supply of these components in culturally eutrophied lakes, i.e., depending on the sources causing eutrophication.

In management terms, these findings mean that the control of sources of nitrogen and phosphorus of high biological availability (dissolved mineral fractions) probably have a greater effect on the reversal of eutrophication than an unselective control, though equal in relative terms, of all sources. In other words, priority is to be given to control of biologically readily available components. The following Figure can be used for assessment purposes (Kerekes, 1983).

Figure-2: Ortho-phosphate-P vs. Total-P:

Ortho-phosphate-P vs. Total-P

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Correlations between trophic indicators

Contents:

Correlations between trophic indicators

Nitrogen vs Phosphorus:

Figure-1: Nitrogen vs. Phosphorus:

Ortho-phosphate-P vs. Total-Phosphorus:

Figure-2: Ortho-phosphate-P vs. Total-P: