NUTRIENTS

Nutrients
• Important and commonly measured
elements needed for growth
Essential Macronutrient –
needed in large quantities
• O, C, N, H, P, S, K, Mg, Ca
Essential micronutrient element –
needed in smaller quantities
• Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, B, Si, Mo, Cl, V, Co, Na
 Nutrients
Nitrogen and Phosphorus
= Soft tissue builder

Silicon = Hard tissue builder

 Nutrient Regimes
1. Eutrophic = well fed (trophic means nutrition)
- high nutrients, high production
- ex. Upwelling areas, Coastal waters
2. Oligotrophic = poorly fed
- low nutrients, low production
- ex. Open ocean
3. Mesotrophic - midway
NUTRIENT CYCLE
Biological uptake (Particulate)
Dissolved Nutrient
Phytoplankton
Zooplankton
light

Regeneration
(aerobic respiration) Biogenic detritus
(non-living organic matter)

Regeneration

Sinking particles

Sediments
(Burial)
1. Physical Speciation (operational definitions!)

A. Dissolved -- pass thru a given filter (0.45µm)

B. Particulate -- retained by a given filter

C. Colloidal -- pass thru conventional filters, but are

not dissolved
 Chemist’s description of
phytoplankton

Alfred Redfield

Redfield Ratio 106C: 16N: 1P: 138O

Conc of nutrients in seawater changes in relation to fixed conc
ratio in the organism
A. Phosphorus – essential in genetic material (RNA, DNA) and energy
transforming mechanisms (ATP)
Source – rocks (granite, basalt, shale), rivers, sewage
i. Dissolved Inorganic Phosphorus (DIP)
a. pH-dependent speciation of Orthophosphate:
H3PO4
H2PO4-
HPO42- (most important at sw pH)
PO43-

b. Polyphosphate

ii. Dissolved Organic Phosphorus (DOP) – e.g., Phospholipids (main

structural cpd in cell membrane)
Generic Mid-Ocean Nutrient Profiles -
Phosphorus
several
[P] µmol L-1
Biological uptake - High
consumption of inorganic
nutrients; high production of
organic nutrients

Regeneration - Slow release of

Depth

inorganic nutrients due to

decomposition of falling particles;
slow utilization of organic nutrients
(Regeneration via Respiration)

2000 m DOP DIP

B. Nitrogen
Redox-dependent speciation of dissolved forms:
Species Oxid State
NO3- +V
NO2- +III
Dissolved Inorganic
N2O +I
Nitrogen (DIN)
N2 0
NH4+ -III
Dissolved Organic
Organic-N -III (e.g., Urea H2N-CO-NH2
Nitrogen (DON)
amino acid)
Generic Mid-Ocean Nutrient Profiles -
Nitrogen
tens of
[N] µmol L-1
Biological uptake

Regeneration via
NH4+ Respiration
Depth

Low-[O2] loss of NO3-

NO2- (denitrification)

2000 m DON O2 NO3-

 NO2-N NO3-N
NH4-N

NH4-N

NO2-N
C. Silicon – major constituent of earth’s crust
Soluble forms:
H2SiO3 (95% of total dissolved silica – over a broad pH range)
HSiO3- (5% of total dissolved silica)
SiO32- (<<1% of total dissolved sillica)

Particulate form – SiO2 silica = biogenic

opal
Generic Mid-Ocean Nutrient Profiles -
Silicate
several
[Si] µmol L-1
Biological uptake - High
consumption of inorganic
nutrients; high production of
organic nutrients

Regeneration – via Dissolution

Depth

(regeneration maxima
occurring at lower depth)

2000 m
Typical nutrient concentration in the
ocean:
Phosphate “0” – 3 µmol/L
Nitrate “0” – 40 µmol/L
Silicate “0” – 200 µmol/L
Nutrient Vertical Profiles
 Nutrient cycling in aquatic systems

Phosphate (soil, N2 (atm) (nitrates CO2 (atm)

detergent; sewage) (soil; sewage)

C
P N
(usually
(usually (possibly
plentiful)
limited) limited)

(sufficient O2)
Primary Producers (algae and other N
CO2, NO3, PO4 fixing and photosynthetic organisms

Bacterial
Growth of fish and other
decomposition of plant
secondary producers aging
and animal debris
process

Sedimentation of plant
(sufficient O2) and animal debris
 Phosphate (uM)

Distance (km)
 Nitrate (uM)

Latitude
 Nutrient limitation
Limiting factor – material available in
amount most closely approaching the
critical minimum required to sustain
activity

In general:
Freshwater – P limited
Seawater – N limited
 P limitation applicable in some environments

David Schindler and a lake in

Ontario…

Good Housekeeping Is So Important.

Mom was right; wash your (child's) hands before eating!
…When washing, use a phosphate detergent. Phosphates bind to lead particles and pick them up. Read labels to find a high-phosphate
detergent. Dish-washing detergents are often high-phosphate. So is TSP (Tri-Sodium Phosphate), sold in hardware stores. Mix 2
teaspoons of phosphate detergent in each gallon of warm water.
Schindler in Canada: P limitation
Nutrients – good = food
Nutrients – bad = pollutant

eutrophication, algal bloom
Harmful Algal Bloom
The End