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Effects of nutrients and temperature on decomposition of Myriophyllum spicatum L. in a hard‐water eutrophic lake 1
Author(s) -
Carpenter Stephen R.,
Adams Michael S.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1979.24.3.0520
Subject(s) - myriophyllum , nitrogen , phosphorus , eutrophication , nutrient , shoot , exponential decay , litter , chemistry , nitrate , botany , decomposition , environmental chemistry , ecology , aquatic plant , biology , macrophyte , physics , organic chemistry , nuclear physics
Temperature, phosphorus, and nitrogen were investigated as possible factors influencing decay of Myriophyllum spicatum shoots. In laboratory experiments, nitrogen enrichment significantly increased decay rates while phosphorus enrichment did not. Similar increases in decay rate per unit of added nitrogen occurred whether nitrogen was provided as nitrate or was present as additional tissue nitrogen. Exponential decay coefficients depended on temperature with a Q 10 of about 3. Predictions of decay rates during litter bag experiments were based on laboratory responses of decay rate to temperature and initial nitrogen concentration of the shoots. Observed decay rates correlated closely with predictions, demonstrating the usefulness of temperature and shoot nitrogen content in explaining variations in decay rates in Lake Wingra. However, predictions underestimated decay rates. Possible explanations for the discrepancies include slow establishment of the detrital microflora, lower nitrogen availability, and absence of animals in the laboratory incubations.