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- Title
Solute specific scaling of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus uptake in streams.
- Authors
Hall Jr., R. O.; Baker, M. A.; Rosi-Marshall, E. J.; Tank, J. L.
- Abstract
Stream ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling may vary with stream position in the watershed. Using a scaling approach, we examined the relationship between stream size and nutrient uptake length, which represents the mean distance that a dissolved solute travels prior to removal from the water column. Ammonium uptake length increased proportionally with stream size measured as specific discharge (discharge/stream width) with a scaling exponent= 1.01. In contrast, the scaling exponent for nitrate (NO3- ) was 1.19 and for soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) was 1.35, suggesting that uptake lengths for these nutrients increased more rapidly than increases in specific discharge. Additionally, the ratio of nitrogen (N) uptake length to SRP uptake length declined with stream size; there was lower demand for SRP relative to N as stream size increased. Ammonium and NO3- uptake velocity positively related with stream metabolism, while SRP did not. Finally, we related the scaling of uptake length and specific discharge to that of stream length using Hack's law and downstream hydraulic geometry. Ammonium uptake length increased less than proportionally with distance from the headwaters, suggesting a strong role for larger streams and rivers in regulating nutrient transport.
- Subjects
INORGANIC compounds; RIVER ecology; NUTRIENT cycles; WATER table; HYDRAULIC structures; MOVEMENT of solutes in soils; BIOGEOGRAPHY
- Publication
Biogeosciences Discussions, 2013, Vol 10, Issue 4, p6671
- ISSN
1810-6277
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.5194/bgd-10-6671-2013