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Does the seston of Lake Biwa release dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus during aerobic decomposition?: Its implication for eutrophication
Author(s) -
Tezuka Yasuhiko
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
ecological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1440-1703
pISSN - 0912-3814
DOI - 10.1007/bf02348686
Subject(s) - seston , eutrophication , phosphorus , nitrogen , decomposition , particulates , environmental science , environmental chemistry , nutrient , chemistry , ecology , phytoplankton , biology , organic chemistry
Seston was collected from depths of 5 and 60 m in the north basin and a depth of 0 m in the south basin of Lake Biwa in the summer of 1985 and decomposed in the laboratory under aerobic conditions for three months. There was no net release of dissolved inorganic phosphorus from any seston, in contrast with the liberation of dissolved inorganic nitrogen. From this result and other available data, it is suggested that almost all phosphorus entering Lake Biwa and remaining within it is finally transformed into particulate phosphorous, transported to the bottom sediments, and fixed there without being recycled. Thus, this mechanism seems to play an important role in the prevention of rapid eutrophication of Lake Biwa, in spite of high external phosphorus loading.