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Includes index / Bibliography: p. 77-79 / i, 145 p. : / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.

Benthic algal species receive elevated nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability as anthropogenic activities increase the loading of nutrients into coastal waters. Pelagic species could also be responding to this nutrient enrichment. This study compared the tissue nutrient content and productivity of three benthic and two pelagic species of Sargassum. We hypothesized that the benthic species would have a higher tissue nutrient content and productivity than the pelagic species and the pelagic species would have a higher tissue nutrient content and productivity than historic data. The tissue nutrient content and net productivity of the benthic and pelagic species were not significantly different indicating that the pelagic species are receiving high levels of nutrient availability comparable to that of the benthic species. Pelagic species in the current study exhibited significantly higher N:P ratios and net productivity than the historic data, suggesting a shift from N to P limitation and increased productivity. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Nitrogen (N) has traditionally been regarded as the primary limiting nutrient to algal growth in marine coastal waters, but recent studies suggest that phosphorus (P) can be limiting in carbonate-rich environments. To better understand the importance of P. alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) was measured in reef macroalgae in seven counties of south Florida ; several significant trends emerged : 1) APA decreased geographically from the highest values in Dada>Monroe>Palm Beach>St. Lucie>Broward>Martin>Lee counties 2) APA varied temporally with increasing nutrient-rich runoff in the wet season 3) APA varied due to taxonomic division Phaeophyta>Rhodophyta>Chlorophyta 4) Nutrient enrichment experiments demonstrated that increased N-enrichment enhanced P-limitation while increased P decreased P-limitation. These results suggest that high APA observed in carbonate-rich waters of Dade County and low APA in Broward County resulted from high nutrient inputs associated with anthropogenic nutrient pollution. / by Courtney Kehler. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Macroalgal blooms are responses to nutrient enrichment in shallow seagrass ecosystems like the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida. Little is known about nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) limitation or the importance of morphological/physiological characteristics of bloom-forming macroalgae (Ulva lactuca, Hypnea musciformis, and Gracilaria tikvahiae) in the IRL. We hypothesized: 1) all species would proliferate in nutrient-rich Titusville, 2) opportunistic U. lactuca would dominate, 3) Rapid Light Curves (RLCs) would assess nutrient status, and 4) nutrient concentrations would regulate growth more than N:P ratios. Field studies showed rapid biomass doubling times of 2 days (U. lactuca; November 2012) in urbanized Titusville. RLCs in a guano-enriched island off Big Pine Key (BPK) and Titusville (Ulva spp.) were similar due to P-saturation. Laboratory studies showed three-fold higher RLCs and two-fold faster growth at high nutrient concentrations of N and P. Reductions of both N and P will be required to moderate future blooms. / by Lisa N.A. Vlaming. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.