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Phosphorus limitation of net production in a confined aquatic ecosystem

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Abstract

The sediment composition of confined aquatic ecosystems with little terrigenous input reflects net ecosystem production. Here we present nutrient budgets for one such system, Shark Bay in Western Australia, which suggest that net ecosystem production is limited by the oceanographic delivery of P, while the system meets its N requirements by nitrogen fixation. We suggest that N versus P limitation of the net production of aquatic ecosystems reflects the degree of confinement of those systems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, PO Box 1346, Kaneohe, Hawaii, 96744, USA

    S. V. Smith

  2. Department of Zoology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009

    M. J. Atkinson

Authors
  1. S. V. Smith
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  2. M. J. Atkinson
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Smith, S., Atkinson, M. Phosphorus limitation of net production in a confined aquatic ecosystem . Nature 307, 626–627 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/307626a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/307626a0

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