ABSTRACT: Nutrient competition experiments were performed with periphytic microalgae from the Kiel Fjord, western Baltic Sea. Diatoms were dominant competitors at high Si:N ratios (under N-limited conditions) and high Si:P ratios (under P-limited conditions). Under low silicate supply, cyanobacteria became dominant at low N:P ratios and chlorophytes at high ones. Changes in light intensity influenced the outcome of competition at the species level but not at the level of higher taxa. The nitrogen source (ammonium or nitrate) had no impact on the outcome of competition.

KEY WORDS: Periphyton · Microphytobenthos · Competition · Nutrients

Published in MEPS Vol. 140 (1996) on September 12
ISSN: 0171-8630. Copyright © Inter-Research, Oldendorf/Luhe, 1996