Abstract
Small-scale, short-term enrichment experiments were conducted in the Ria Formosa coastal lagoon (southern Portugal), to assess the effects of nutrient availability on primary productivity, biomass (as chlorophyll a), and algal composition. Samples were collected from natural communities at three different sites in the western lagoon: Barra, oceanic inlet; Ramalhete, adjacent to a urban waste water treatment plant; and Ponte, an upstream channel used for recreation and bivalve farming. These samples were enriched separately with nitrogen and phosphorous during the extreme neap tides of the summer solstice at both high (HW) and low water (LW). The experiment was repeated during the autumnal equinox to test for seasonality, and during the following summer solstice to test for replication. The addition of nitrogen consistently stimulated the productivity and biomass during summer experiments at the two sites within the lagoon, identifying N as the most likely primary “potentially limiting nutrient” in the western part of the lagoon for this period. No stimulation of biomass and productivity occurred in September at the same two sites indicating the importance of other factors such as light, sedimentation or grazing pressure, as controlling the pelagic community. However, these outcomes were reversed at the oceanic inlet (Barra-HW) where there was no stimulation by nitrogen during the summer months, but there was in September, suggesting that there is a different nutritional requirement for the coastal community in comparison with the lagoon community. In samples where productivity was stimulated, diatoms were the group most sensitive to enrichment.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
L. F. Affronti H. G. Marshall (1993) ArticleTitleDiel abundance and productivity patterns of autotrophic picoplankton in the lower Chesapeake Bay Journal of Plankton Research 15 1–8
N. S. R. Agawin C. M. Duarte S. Agusti (2000) ArticleTitleNutrient and temperature control of the contribution of picoplankton to phytoplankton biomass and production Limnology and Oceanography 45 591–600
R. M. Asmus M. Sprung H. Asmus (2000) ArticleTitleNutrient fluxes in intertidal communities of a South European lagoon (Ria Formosa)-similarities and differences with a northern Wadden Sea bay (Sylt-Romo Bay) Hydrobiologia 436 217–235 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1026542621512
T. Ault R. Velzeboer R. Zammit (2000) ArticleTitleInfluence of nutrient availability on phytoplankton growth and community structure in the Port Adelaide River, Australia:bioassay assessment of potential nutrient limitation Hydrobiologia 429 89–103 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1004024630413
M. C. Austen R. M. Warwick M. C. Rosado (1989) ArticleTitleMeiobenthic and macrobenthic community structure along a putative pollution gradient in Southern Portugal Marine Pollution Bulletin 20 398–405 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0025-326X(89)90318-4
E. Berdalet C. Marrasé M. Estrada L. Arin M.L. MacLean (1996) ArticleTitleMicrobial community responses to nitrogen- and phosphorus-deficient nutrient inputs: microplankton dynamics and biochemical characterization Journal of Plankton Research 18 1627–1641
S. S. Bishop K. A. Emmanuele J. A. Yoder (1984) ArticleTitleNutrient limitation of phytoplankton growth in Georgia Nearshore waters Estuaries 7 506–512
S. B. Bricker C. G. Clement D. E. Pirhalla S. P. Orlando D. R. G. Farrow (1999) National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment: effects of nutrient enrichment in the Nation’s Estuaries National Ocean Service Silver Spring, MD, USA
J. R. Bryan J. P. Riley P. J. leB Williams (1976) ArticleTitleA Winkler procedure for making precise measures of oxygen concentration for productivity and related studies Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 21 191–197 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0022-0981(76)90114-3
N. Caraco A. Tamse O. Boutros I. Valiela (1987) ArticleTitleNutrient limitation of phytoplankton growth in brackish coastal ponds Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 44 473–476
P. Carlsson E. Granéli (1999) ArticleTitleEffects of N:P:Si ratios and zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton communities in the northern Adriatic Sea. II. Phytoplankton species composition Aquatic Microbial Ecology 18 55–65
K. R. Clarke R. M. Warwick (2001) Change in Marine Communities: An Approach to Statistical Analysis and Interpretation EditionNumber2 Primer-E Plymouth, UK
D. J. Conley (2000) ArticleTitleBiogeochemical nutrient cycles and nutrient management strategies Hydrobiologia 410 87–96 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1003784504005
Diário da República, 2001. Portaria no. 704/2001. DR 159 SÉRIE I-B, 2001-07–11
De Baar, H. J. W., 1994. von Liebig’s Law of the Minimum and Plankton Ecology (1899–1991). Progress in Oceanography 33: 347–386
P. Dufour B. Berland (1999) ArticleTitleNutrient control of phytoplanktonic biomass in atoll lagoons and Pacific ocean waters: studies with factorial enrichment bioassays Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 234 147–166 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0022-0981(98)00135-X
V. R. Edwards P. Tett K. J. Jones (2003) ArticleTitleChanges in the yield of chlorophyll from dissolved available inorganic nitrogen after an enrichment event – applications for predicting eutrophication in coastal waters Continental Shelf Research 23 1771–1786 Occurrence Handle10.1016/j.csr.2003.06.003
Edwards, V., J. Icely, A. Newton & R. Webster, In Press. The yield of chlorophyll from nitrogen: a comparison between the shallow Ria Formosa lagoon and the deep oceanic conditions at Sagres along the southern coast of Portugal. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
J. J. Elser B. L. Kimmel (1986) ArticleTitleAlteration of phytoplankton phosphorus status during enrichment experiments: implications for interpreting nutrient enrichment bioassay results Hydrobiologia 133 217–222
M. Falcão C. Vale (1990) ArticleTitleStudy of the Ria Formosa ecosystem: benthic nutrient remineralization and tidal variability of nutrients in the water Hydrobiologia 207 137–146 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00041450
M. Falcão C. Vale (1998) ArticleTitleSediment-water exchanges of ammonium and phosphate in intertidal and subtidal areas of a mesotidal coastal lagoon (Ria Formosa) Hydrobiologia 373/374 193–201 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1017083724636
M. Falcão C. Vale (2003) ArticleTitleNutrient dynamics in a coastal lagoon (Ria Formosa, Portugal): the importance of lagoon-sea water exchanges on the biological productivity Ciencias Marinas 29 425–433
J. G. Ferreira T. Simas A. Nobre M.C. Silva K. Shifferegger J. Lencart-Silva (2003) Identification of sensitive areas and vulnerable zones in transitional and coastal Portuguese systems INAG & IMAR Portugal
A. F. G. Fiúza M. E. Macedo M. R. Guerreiro (1982) ArticleTitleClimatological space and time variation of the Portuguese coastal upwelling Oceanologica Acta 5 31–40
P. Fong J. B. Zedler R. M. Donohoe (1993) ArticleTitleNitrogen vs. phosphorus limitation of algal biomass in shallow coastal lagoons Limnology and Oceanography 38 906–923
S. Gamito (1997a) ArticleTitleSustainable management of a coastal lagoon system (Ria Formosa, Portugal): An ecological model for extensive aquaculture International Journal of Salt Lake Research 6 145–173 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1009029826342
S. Gamito (1997b) ArticleTitleApplication of canonical correspondence analysis to environmental and benthic macrofauna data of four sites in the Ria Formosa (Portugal) Publicaciones Especiales Instituto Español de Oceanografia 23 41–52
R. J. Gowen P. Tett K. J. Jones (1992) ArticleTitlePredicting marine eutrophication: the yield of chlorophyll from nitrogen in Scottish coastal waters Marine Ecology Progress Series 85 153–161
E. Granéli K. Sundbäck (1985) ArticleTitleThe response of planktonic and microbenthic algal assemblages to nutrient enrichment in shallow coastal waters, Southwest Sweden Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 85 253–268 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0022-0981(85)90161-3
E. Granéli W. Granéli L. Rydberg (1986) ArticleTitleNutrient limitation at the ecosystem and the phytoplankton community level in the Laholm Bay, South East Kattegat Ophelia 26 181–194
E. Granéli (1987) ArticleTitleNutrient limitation of phytoplankton Biomass in a brackish water bay highly influenced by river discharged Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 25 555–565 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0272-7714(87)90114-4
E. Granéli K. Wallström U. Larsson W. Granéli R. Elmgren (1990) ArticleTitleNutrient limitation of Primary Production in the Baltic Sea Area Ambio 19 142–151
K. Grasshoff M. K. Ehrhardt Kremling (1983) Methods of Seawater Analysis Verlag Chemie. FR Germany
F. P. Healey (1979) ArticleTitleShort-term responses of nutrient-deficient algae to nutrient addition Journal of Phycology 15 289–299 Occurrence Handle10.1111/j.0022-3646.1979.00289.x
R. E. Hecky P. Kilham (1988) ArticleTitleNutrient limitation of phytoplankton in freshwater and marine environments: a review of recent evidence on the effects of enrichment Limnology and Oceanography 33 796–822
R. W. Howarth (1988) ArticleTitleNutrient limitation of net primary production in marine ecosystems Annual Review of Ecology 19 89–110 Occurrence Handle10.1146/annurev.es.19.110188.000513
S. Jacquet H. Havskum T. F. Thingstad D. Vaulot (2002) ArticleTitleEffects of inorganic and organic nutrient addition on a coastal microbial community (Isejord, Denmark) Marine Ecology Progress Series 228 3–14
JGOFS, 1994. Protocols for the joint global ocean flux study (JGOFS) core measurements. Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. Manuals and Guides 29
R. M. Kudela R. C. Dugdale (2000) ArticleTitleNutrient regulation of phytoplankton productivity in Monterey Bay, California Deep-Sea Research 47 1023–1053 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0967-0645(99)00135-6
J. Liebig ParticleVon (1840) Organic Chemistry in its Application to Agriculture and Physiology Taylor & Walton London
Lyngby, J. E. & S. M. Mortensen, 1995. Biomonitoring of eutrophication levels in shallow coastal ecosystems. In Elettheriou, A. (eds), Biology and Ecology of shallow coastal water. Proceedings 28th European Marine Biology Symposium, Iraklio, Crete, 1993. Olsen & Olsen, Fredensborg, International Symposium Series, 39–44
T. C. Malone D. J. Conley T. R. Fisher P. M. Glibert L. W. Harding K. G. Sellner (1996) ArticleTitleScales of nutrient-limited phytoplankton productivity in Chesapeake Bay Estuaries 19 371–385
E. Maranon E. Fernandez R. Anadon (1995) ArticleTitlePatterns of macromolecular synthesis by natural phytoplankton assemblages under changing upwelling regimes: in situ observations and microcosm experiments Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 188 1–28 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0022-0981(94)00177-F
A. Marques R. Coimbra M. Sprung J. P. Andrade (1996) ArticleTitlePlankton and its environment: studies in shallow tidal creeks in a Ria Formosa salt marsh Ciência Biológica Ecology and Systematics (Portugal) 16 35–43
H. G. Marshall (1995) ArticleTitleAutotrophic picoplankton distribution and abundance in the Chesapeake Bay, U.S.A Marine Nature 4 33–42
Newton, A. & J. D. Icely, 2002. Impact of Coastal Engineering on the Water Quality of the Ria Formosa Lagoon, Portugal. In Eurocoast (eds), Littoral 2002, The Changing Coast. Ed. Eurocoast, Porto, Portugal, 417–421
A. Newton J. Icely M. Falcão A. Nobre J. P. Nunes J. G. Ferreira C. Vale (2003) ArticleTitleEvaluation of Eutrophication in the Ria Formosa Coastal Lagoon, Portugal Continental Shelf Research 23 1945–1961 Occurrence Handle10.1016/j.csr.2003.06.008
A. Newton S. Mudge (2003) ArticleTitleTemperature and salinity regimes in a shallow, mesotidal lagoon, the Ria Formosa, Portugal Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 56 1–13 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0272-7714(02)00197-X
S. W. Nixon (1981) Remineralization and nutrient cycling in coastal marine ecosystems B. J. Neilson L. E. Cronin (Eds) Estuaries and nutrients The Humana Press New Jersey, USA 111–137
Nixon, S. W., 1982. Nutrient dynamics, primary production and fisheries yields of lagoons. Proceedings of the International Symposium Coastal Lagoons, SCOR/IABO/UNESCO, Bordeaux, France, 8–14 Sep., 1981. Oceanologica Actal. 357–371
C. B. Officer J. H. Ryther (1980) ArticleTitleThe possible importance of Silicon in marine eutrophication Marine Ecology Progress Series 3 83–91
C. Oviatt P. Doering B. Nowicki L. Reed J. Cole J. Frithsen (1995) ArticleTitleAn ecosystem level experiment on nutrient limitation in temperate coastal marine environments Marine Ecology Progress Series 116 171–179
J. R. Pennock J. H. Sharp (1994) ArticleTitleTemporal alteration between light- and nutrient-limitation of phytoplankton in a coastal plain estuary Marine Ecology Progress Series 142 261–272
G. C. Pitcher J. J. Bolton P. C. Brown L. Hutchings (1993) ArticleTitleThe development of phytoplankton blooms in upwelled waters of the southern Benguela upwelling system as determined by microcosm experiments Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 165 171–189 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0022-0981(93)90104-V
Reis, C. & M. Sprung, 1995. Biomassa e distribuição macroalgal na Ria Formosa. 8° Congresso do Algarve: 911–917
Robertson A. I., 1999. Limiting nutrient workshop 1997. LWRRDC, Occasional Paper 7/99
J. G. Sanders S. T. Cibik C. F. D’Elia W. R. Boynton (1987) ArticleTitleNutrient enrichment studies in a coastal plain estuary: changes in phytoplankton species composition Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 44 83–90
D. W. Schindler (1974) ArticleTitleEutrophication and recovery in experimental lakes: implications for lake management Science 184 897–899
L. Schülter (1998) ArticleTitleThe influence of nutrient addition on growth rates of phytoplankton groups, and microzooplankton grazing rates in a mesocosm experiment Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 228 53–71 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0022-0981(98)00004-5
S. V. Smith (1984) ArticleTitlePhosphorus versus nitrogen limitation in the marine environment Limnology and Oceanography 29 1149–1160
M. Sprung (1994) ArticleTitleMacrobenthic secondary production in the intertidal zone of the Ria Formosa – a Lagoon in Southern Portugal Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 38 539–558 Occurrence Handle10.1006/ecss.1994.1037
Strickland, J. D. H., T. R. Parsons, 1972. A pratical handbook of seawater analysis. 2nd edn. Ottawa: Fisheries Research Board of Canada Bulletin 167, 311 pp
D. I. Taylor S. W. Nixon S. L. Granger B. A. Buckley (1999) ArticleTitleResponses of Coastal Lagoon plant communities to levels of nutrient enrichment: a Mesocosm Study Estuaries 22 1041–1056
P. Tett L. Gilpin H. Svendsen C. P. Erlandsson U. Larsson S. Kratzer E. Fouilland C. Janzen J. Y. Lee C. Grenz A. Newton J. G. Ferreira T. Fernandes S. Scory (2003) ArticleTitleEutrophication and some European waters of restricted exchange Continental Shelf Research 23 1635–1671 Occurrence Handle10.1016/j.csr.2003.06.013
C. R. Tomas (1997) Identifying Marine Phytoplankton Academic Press London
T. Tyrrell C. S. Law (1997) ArticleTitleLow nitrate:phosphate ratios in the global ocean Nature 387 793–796 Occurrence Handle10.1038/42915
T. Tyrrell (1999) ArticleTitleThe relative influences of nitrogen and phosphorus on oceanic primary production Nature 400 525–531 Occurrence Handle10.1038/22941
H. Utermöhl (1958) ArticleTitleZur Vervolkommnung der quantitativen Phytoplankton-Methodik. Mitteilungen der Internationalen Vereinigung fur Theoretische und Angewandte Limnologie 9 1–38
P. Vale M. A. M. Sampayo (1999) ArticleTitleEsters of okadaic acid and dinophysistoxin-2 in Portuguese bivalves related to human poisonings Toxicon 37 1109–1121 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0041-0101(98)00247-5 Occurrence Handle10400295
Vallejo, S. M. A., 1982. Development and management of coastal lagoons. Proceedings of the International Symposium Coastal Lagoons, SCOR/IABO/UNESCO, Bordeaux, France, 8–14 September, 1981. Oceanologica Acta: 397–401
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Loureiro, S., Newton, A. & Icely, J. Effects of nutrient enrichments on primary production in the Ria Formosa coastal lagoon (Southern Portugal). Hydrobiologia 550, 29–45 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-005-4357-1
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-005-4357-1