Maintenance of terrestrial nutrient loss signatures during in-stream transport

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dc.contributorVirginia Techen
dc.contributor.authorBrookshire, E. N. Jacken
dc.contributor.authorValett, H. M.en
dc.contributor.authorGerber, S.en
dc.contributor.departmentBiological Sciencesen
dc.date.accessed2014-03-11en
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-27T13:06:07Zen
dc.date.available2014-03-27T13:06:07Zen
dc.date.issued2009-02en
dc.description.abstractSmall streams account for the majority of channel length in river basins worldwide and are the primary conveyors of terrestrial nutrients to rivers and ultimately the oceans. The controls of stream nutrient fluxes, however, are debated. Classical models emphasize that nutrient transport in streams integrates nutrient cycling in the terrestrial watershed while others argue that in-stream processes control nutrient flux. Recent studies have shown that in-stream cycling can be important in determining downstream nutrient fluxes, but results have not been reconciled with mass-balance calculations at the small-watershed scale. Here we use a simple analytical framework to assess nutrient cycling in streams and show that, under most conditions, longitudinally static nutrient concentrations reflect in-stream biotic balance between uptake and regeneration and groundwater inputs. Using measures of nutrient concentrations in small streams across four biomes, we provide evidence for generality of biogeochemical steady state (inputs outputs) in stream ecosystems: overall, longitudinal profiles were. at for nitrogen and phosphorus and were similar in concentration to soil and ground waters. Deviation from. at longitudinal profiles was associated with seasonal or successional biomass growth and small groundwater inputs relative to in-stream sink strength. We conclude that streams tend strongly toward nutrient balance, allowing use of their chemistry as an integrated measure of terrestrial nutrient losses.en
dc.description.sponsorshipNSF DEB 04-05373en
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationE. N. J. Brookshire, H. M. Valett, and S. Gerber 2009. Maintenance of terrestrial nutrient loss signatures during in-stream transport. Ecology 90:293-299. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/08-0949.1en
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1890/08-0949.1en
dc.identifier.issn0012-9658en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/46848en
dc.identifier.urlhttp://www.esajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1890/08-0949.1en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherEcological Society of Americaen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectanalytical modelen
dc.subjectbiogeochemistryen
dc.subjectnutrient cyclingen
dc.subjectnutrient spiralingen
dc.subjectsmall watershed concepten
dc.subjectstreamsen
dc.subjectterrestrial nutrient lossesen
dc.subjectwatersheden
dc.subjectnutrient budgetsen
dc.subjectforest streamen
dc.subjectheadwater streamsen
dc.subjectnitrogen exporten
dc.subjectdynamicsen
dc.subjectdisturbanceen
dc.subjectPhosphorusen
dc.subjectwatershedsen
dc.subjectecosystemen
dc.subjectriparianen
dc.subjectuplanden
dc.titleMaintenance of terrestrial nutrient loss signatures during in-stream transporten
dc.title.serialEcologyen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten

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