Harmful algal blooms and eutrophication： ＂strategies＂ for nutrient uptake and growth outside the Redfield comfort zone

• Published in: Chinese journal of oceanology and limnology Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 724 - 738
• Main Authors: Glibert, Patricia M., Burkholder, JoAnn M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg SP Science Press 01.07.2011; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Algae; Algal blooms; Algal growth; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Eutrophication; Loads (forces); Marine; N:P Ratios; Nutrient loading; Nutrient Loads and Ecology; Nutrient uptake; Nutrients; Oceanography; Phytoplankton; Plankton blooms; Toxicity; Toxins; Uptake; 养分吸收; 化学计量; 有害藻华; 有害藻类; 水体富营养化; 舒适; 营养条件; 营养负荷; nutrient ratios; nitrogen; mixotrophy; nutrient loading; nutrient stoichiometry; HABs; organic nutrients; phosphorus
• ISSN: 0254-4059; 2096-5508; 1993-5005; 2523-3521
• DOI: 10.1007/s00343-011-0502-z

While many harmful algal blooms have been associated with increasing eutrophication, not all species respond similarly and the increasing challenge, especially for resource managers, is to determine which blooms are related to eutrophication and to understand why particular species proliferate under specific nutrient conditions. The overall goal of this brief review is to describe why nutrient loads are not changing in stoichiometric proportion to the ＂Redfield ratio＂, and why this has important consequences for algal growth. Many types of harmful algae appear to be able to thrive, and/or increase their production of toxins, when nutrient loads are not in proportion classically identified as Redfield ratios. Here we also describe some of the physiological mechanisms of different species to take up nutrients and to thrive under conditions of nutrient imbalance.