Citation. Tilman, D.; Kiesling, R.; Sterner, R.; Kilham, S. S.; Johnson, F. A. 1986. Green, bluegreen and diatom algae: taxonomic differences in competitive ability for phosphorus, silicon and nitrogen. Archiv for Hydrobiologie 106(4):473-485.   [1199  LTER]

Abstract. Numerous laboratory resource-limited competition experiments performed on natural algal assemblages in continuous culture suggest that, of all the algal species in mid-latitude lakes, some species of diatoms are superior competitors for phosphorus, but that some species of green or bluegreen algae are superior competitors for nitrogen, and light. The Si:P and N:P ratios at which dominance shifted from one taxonomic group to another were temperature dependent, with diatoms dominant through a broader range of Si:P and N:P ratios at lower temperatures (less than ca. 14 degrees C) and green and bluegreen algae dominant at higher temperatures. Bluegreen algae dominated all N:P supply ratios (micro M:micro M) less than ca 20 at 24 degrees C, but were not dominant at any N:P ratios at 17 degrees C and 10 degrees C. These relationships support the hypothesis that dependent resource competition may be an important process structuring natural algal communities. They could explain the shift to dominance by bluegreen and green algae in mid-latitude, mildly-productive phosphorus-limited lakes with culturally derived phosphorus additions and warming.