Eutrophication I

Integrative Studies In Physical Science 217 with Peacor/sarnelle at Michigan State University

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By: Mike Viselli
Created: 2012-03-20
Size: 20 flashcards
Views: 56

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Eutrophication

An increase in the external supply of nutrients to an ecosystem that results in an increase in plant growth

Nutrient

Essential elements that tend to limit plant growth

Saturating Curve

Effect of increasing the concentration of a limiting nutrient on phytoplankton growth rate

Limiting Nutrient

The nutrient that is in the shortest supply relative to the need. Controlling the limiting nutrient can help reverse eutrophication.

Leibig's Law

growth is controlled by the scarcest resource; as long as the required factors are present for things to grow (sunlight, water, etc.) they will grow, but when one of those factors runs out growth stops

What is the connection between the child doing laundry, and dead fish?

Nutrients

Why would eutrophication be called too much of a good thing?

It can result in reduced water clarity and the increased growth of phytoplankton and aquatic plants and kills fish

What are 4 elements that tend to limit plant growth?

Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Iron (fertilizer ingredients)

What is phytoplankton?

forms the base of most marine and fresh water food chains

cyanobacteria

Do plants take up organic, or inorganic substances?(understand difference of two

terms) What molecule do they take up to get phosphorous (P)?

They take up inorganic substances; They take up phosphate to get phosphorous

Why does the growth curve (growth rate vs nutrient concentration) curve over?

What is this curving over called?

Because the phosphorous in no longer limiting; a "saturating" curve

Why do we need to determine which nutrient is limiting to control eutrophication?

The limiting nutrient is the one we

must control to reverse eutrophication.

What is Liebig’s law?

How does it apply to plant growth? What is it’s relationship to eutrophication? (That is, why was it discussed in this

lecture?)

- The limiting nutrient is the one in shortest supply relative to need.

- We need to know which nutrient is limiting under natural (unpolluted) conditions to understand the anthropogenic problem of eutrophication.

- The limiting nutrient is the one we must control to reverse eutrophication.

Where does the C, N, and P come from (externally) in lakes?

C: atmosphere, watershed

N: watershed, atmosphere

P: watershed

What is the figure of chlorophyll vs total P of field observations of lake surveys telling us?

As total phosphorous goes up, chlorophyll also goes up which means abundance of phytoplankton goes up

True or False: According to the figure of chlorophyll vs total P of field observations of lake surveys: Higher levels of phosphorous lead to more phytoplankton growth. Increasing total phosphorous by 10 times leads to less than a 10 times increase in
chlorophyll.

True

How would you test whether a nutrient is limited using a laboratory experiment?

4 flasks of lake water, use one as a control and add C, N and P to the 3 others. The phytoplankton will only respond (by growing faster) to addition of the limiting nutrient

Which element was it surprising to find was limiting in lake water using laboratory

experiments? How did the laboratory experiment not represent what is actually happening in lakes?

Carbon! In comparison to a lake, there is less oxygen when running a laboratory experiment

What was the controversy concerning nutrient limitation?

selective use of evidence to support a pre-determined position

What did the field experiments indicate about nutrient limitation in lakes? (that is,

understand the results of these experiment relative to the laboratory experiments).

Adding phosphorous led to more algae growth meaning that phosphorous is, in fact, the limiting nutrient in lakes >>> leads to much regulation on P

About this deck

By: Mike Viselli
Created: 2012-03-20
Size: 20 flashcards
Views: 56

About StudyBlue

“I have used this website for three exams, and I see a huge difference in my test results.”
Naj