Md. Matlock et al., LIMITING NUTRIENT DETERMINATION IN LOTIC ECOSYSTEMS USING A QUANTITATIVE NUTRIENT ENRICHMENT PERIPHYTOMETER, Journal of the american water resources association, 34(5), 1998, pp. 1141-1147
The decline of water quality in United States' lotic ecosystems (strea
ms and rivers) has been linked to nonpoint source nutrient loading (U.
S. EPA, 1990). Determining limiting nutrients in streams is difficult
due to the variable nature of lotic ecosystems. We developed a quantit
ative passive diffusion periphyton nutrient enrichment system, called
the Matlock Periphytometer, to measure the response of attached algae
(periphyton) to nutrient enrichment. The system is simple to build and
provides quantitative nutrient enrichment of a surface for periphytic
growth. The periphyton grow on a glass fiber filter, which allows com
plete recovery of periphyton for chlorophyll a analysis. A 14-kilodalt
on dialysis membrane was used as a biofilter to prevent bacterial and
algal contamination of the nutrient solution. We determined the rates
of diffusion of nitrogen and phosphorus ions across the Matlock Periph
ytometer's dialysis membrane and glass fiber filter over a 21-day peri
od (42 and 22 mu g/cm(2)/hr, respectively). We used the Matlock Periph
ytometer to determine the limiting nutrient in a woodland stream. Six
replicates each of a control, nitrogen, and phosphorus treatment were
placed in the stream for 14 days. The results indicated that phosphoru
s was the limiting nutrient in the stream for the period and location
sampled.