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National Center for Water Quality Research (NCWQR)
Published December 1, 2018 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Influence of dual nitrogen and phosphorus additions on nutrient uptake and saturation kinetics in a forested headwater stream

Creators

  • 1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • 2. Indiana University

Description

Laura Johnson was a contributing author, before starting her career at NCWQR.

ABSTRACT

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) can limit autotrophic and heterotrophic metabolism in lotic ecosystems, yet most studies that evaluate biotic responses to colimitation focus on patch-scale (e.g., nutrient diffusing substrata) rather than stream-scale responses. In this study, we evaluated the effects of single and dual N and P additions on ambient nutrient uptake rates and saturation kinetics during two biologically contrasting seasons (spring, autumn) in Walker Branch, a temperate forested headwater stream in Tennessee, USA. In each season, we used separate instantaneous pulse additions to quantify nutrient uptake rates and saturation kinetics of N (nitrate) and P (phosphate). We then used steady-state injections to elevate background stream water concentrations (to low and then high background concentrations) of one nutrient (e.g., N) and released instantaneous pulses of the other nutrient (e.g., P). We predicted that elevating the background concentration of one nutrient would result in a lower ambient uptake length and a higher maximum areal uptake rate of the other nutrient in this colimited stream. Our prediction held true in spring, as maximum areal uptake rate of N increased with elevated P concentrations from 185 µg m-2 min-1 (no added P) to 354 µg m-2 min-1 (high P). This pattern was not observed in autumn, as uptake rates of N were not measurable when P was elevated. Further, elevating background N concentration in either season did not significantly increase P uptake rates, likely because adsorption rather than biotic uptake dominated P dynamics. Laboratory P sorption assays demonstrated that Walker Branch sediments had a high adsorption capacity and were likely a sink for P during most pulse nutrient additions. Therefore, it may be difficult to use coupled pulse nutrient additions to evaluate biotic uptake of N and P in streams with strong P adsorption potential. Future efforts should use dual nutrient addition techniques to investigate reach-scale coupled biogeochemical cycles (C–N–P, and other elemental cycles [e.g., Fe, Mo]) across seasons, biomes, and land-use types and over longer time periods.

Notes

Author contributions: NAG and LTJ designed the study, performed the work, analyzed and interpreted the data, and wrote the manuscript. We thank the late Pat Mulholland for his insights and guidance on the early stages of this project. His mentorship and friendship are greatly missed. This research was part of the long-term Walker Branch Watershed project and supported by the US Department of Energy's Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the US Department of Energy under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725. We thank K. McCracken and D. Brice for technical assistance. We also thank S. C. Brooks, Associate Editor R. O. Hall Jr, and an anonymous reviewer for comments that greatly improved earlier versions of this manuscript. We thank T. V. Royer for partial laboratory support and we thank Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs for supporting LTJ's time.

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