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Science 27 September 1985:
Vol. 229. no. 4720, pp. 1383 - 1386
DOI: 10.1126/science.229.4720.1383
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Articles

Transformation of a Tundra River from Heterotrophy to Autotrophy by Addition of Phosphorus

BRUCE J. PETERSON 1, JOHN E. HOBBIE 1, ANNE E. HERSHEY 2, MAURICE A. LOCK 3, TIM E. FORD 3, J. ROBIE VESTAL 4, VICKY L. MCKINLEY 4, MEREDITH A. J. HULLAR 4, MICHAEL C. MILLER 4, ROY M. VENTULLO 5, and GREGG S. VOLK 5

1 Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543
2 University of Wisconsin, Madison
3 University College of North Wales, Bangor, United Kingdom
4 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
5 University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio

Continuous enrichment of an arctic river with only 10 parts per billion phosphate-phosphorus caused an immediate growth of attached algae for more than 10 kilometers downstream, showing that phosphorus alone limited photosynthesis. As a result of the increased photosynthesis, there was an increase in bacterial activity in films on rocks on the bottom of the stream. The major source of energy became the photosynthetic carbon fixed in the stream rather than the organic material entering from the surrounding tundra, and the overall metabolism of the stream shifted from heterotrophy to autotrophy. An increase in the size and developmental stage of some of the dominant aquatic insects illustrates the food limitation in this nutrient-poor habitat.

Submitted on March 11, 1985
Accepted on July 29, 1985


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Arctic Lakes and Streams as Gas Conduits to the Atmosphere: Implications for Tundra Carbon Budgets.
G. W. Kling, G. W. KLING, G. W. KIPPHUT, and M. C. MILLER (1991)
Science 251, 298-301
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)