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Ocean nutrient ratios governed by plankton biogeography

Author

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  • Thomas S. Weber

    (University of California Los Angeles)

  • Curtis Deutsch

    (University of California Los Angeles)

Abstract

The major nutrients nitrate and phosphate have one of the strongest correlations in the sea, with a slope similar to the average nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P) content of plankton biomass (N/P = 16:1). The processes through which this global relationship emerges despite the wide range of N/P ratios at the organism level are not known. Here we use an ocean circulation model and observed nutrient distributions to show that the N/P ratio of biological nutrient removal varies across latitude in Southern Ocean surface waters, from 12:1 in the polar ocean to 20:1 in the sub-Antarctic zone. These variations are governed by regional differences in the species composition of the plankton community. The covariation of dissolved nitrate and phosphate is maintained by ocean circulation, which mixes the shallow subsurface nutrients between distinct biogeographic provinces. Climate-driven shifts in these marine biomes may alter the mean N/P ratio and the associated carbon export by Southern Ocean ecosystems.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas S. Weber & Curtis Deutsch, 2010. "Ocean nutrient ratios governed by plankton biogeography," Nature, Nature, vol. 467(7315), pages 550-554, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:467:y:2010:i:7315:d:10.1038_nature09403
    DOI: 10.1038/nature09403
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    Cited by:

    1. Auguères, Anne-Sophie & Loreau, Michel, 2016. "Biotic regulation of non-limiting nutrient pools and coupling of biogeochemical cycles," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 334(C), pages 1-7.
    2. Alexandra Moura & Michael A Savageau & Rui Alves, 2013. "Relative Amino Acid Composition Signatures of Organisms and Environments," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(10), pages 1-9, October.
    3. Wan, Zhenwen & Bi, Hongsheng, 2014. "Comparing model scenarios of variable plankton N/P ratio versus the constant one for the application in the Baltic Sea," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 272(C), pages 28-39.
    4. Daniel Graeber & Mark J. McCarthy & Tom Shatwell & Dietrich Borchardt & Erik Jeppesen & Martin Søndergaard & Torben L. Lauridsen & Thomas A. Davidson, 2024. "Consistent stoichiometric long-term relationships between nutrients and chlorophyll-a across shallow lakes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.

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