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
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fau.edu/oai:fau.digital.flvc.org:fau_33673 |
| Contributors | Feibel, Alison (author), Lapointe, Brian E. (Thesis advisor), Florida Atlantic University (Degree grantor), Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Center for Environmental Studies |
| Publisher | Florida Atlantic University |
| Source Sets | Florida Atlantic University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 65 p., application/pdf |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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