Premium
Nitrogen nutrition and physiological state of natural populations of phytoplankton in surface waters of the western Pacific Ocean
Author(s) -
Kanda Jota,
Saino Toshiro,
Hattori Akihiko
Publication year - 1988
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.1988.33.6part2.1580
Subject(s) - phytoplankton , ammonium , nitrogen , nitrate , oceanography , environmental chemistry , nutrient , environmental science , biology , ecology , chemistry , geology , organic chemistry
Nitrogen nutrition of natural populations of phytoplankton in surface waters of the western North Pacific was investigated with an intracellular 15 NH 4 + ‐partitioning technique. At three oligotrophic stations, rate of 15 N incorporation into macromolecular components was almost identical with uptake rate, suggesting that phytoplankton are not nitrogen deficient. 15 N accumulation in extractable components was inferred from data obtained at two other oligotrophic stations. At these stations, phytoplankton growth is apparently limited by nitrogen supply. At three mesotrophic stations, a similar but less pronounced 15 N accumulation in extractable components occurred, which may be attributed to enhanced ammonium uptake caused by the exposure of phytoplankton grown on nitrate to high concentrations of ammonium.