Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1002/lno.70133 |
Licence  |
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| Title (Primary) | Redfield revisited: Insights into freshwater seston carbon : nitrogen : phosphorus stoichiometry |
| Author | Andersen, I.M.; Taylor, J.M.; Graeber, D.; Kelly, P.T.; Hoke, A.K.; Robbins, C.J.; Scott, J.T. |
| Source Titel | Limnology and Oceanography |
| Year | 2025 |
| Department | ASAM |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T5 Future Landscapes |
| Data and Software links | https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.28102916 |
| Supplements | https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/downloadSupplement?doi=10.1002%2Flno.70133&file=lno70133-sup-0001-Supinfo.docx |
| Abstract | Seston carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry plays a fundamental role in aquatic ecosystems, influencing nutrient cycling, primary and secondary production, and trophic interactions. In freshwater systems such as lakes, P limitation is more common, whereas in marine environments, N more frequently limits primary production, reflecting different nutrient limitation patterns across aquatic ecosystems. The Redfield ratio (C106 : N16 : P1 molar), developed from marine seston, has long been considered a benchmark for nutrient composition and a predictor of nutrient limitation across aquatic ecosystems. A later global freshwater and marine seston survey proposed the Sterner ratio (C166 : N20 : P1 molar) as a broader global seston average. We present the results of a fully replicated, multi-annual freshwater mesocosm experiment testing the effect of variable resource N : P stoichiometry on seston stoichiometry. We found that the seston C : N : P ratio aligned with the Redfield ratio under N-limited conditions, while P-limited conditions aligned with the Sterner global survey of freshwater ecosystems. Ternary plots offered visual insight into stoichiometric shifts, showing a trend toward P depletion relative to C and N as N : P supply increases. The average seston C : N : P ratio observed from our experimental data was C141 : N22 : P1 (molar) and variation in seston C : N : P was small compared to the resource ratio gradient. Our mesocosm experiment showed that the Redfield ratio provides a useful description of seston stoichiometry in N-limited freshwater ecosystems. These findings advance the understanding of bottom-up controls on seston C : N : P stoichiometry and highlight the need to refine ecological theories regarding the application of the Redfield ratio in freshwater ecosystems. |
| Persistent UFZ Identifier | https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=31059 |
| Andersen, I.M., Taylor, J.M., Graeber, D., Kelly, P.T., Hoke, A.K., Robbins, C.J., Scott, J.T. (2025): Redfield revisited: Insights into freshwater seston carbon : nitrogen : phosphorus stoichiometry Limnol. Oceanogr. 10.1002/lno.70133 |
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