Relationships between Suspended Particulate Matter and Sinking Flux along a Trophic Gradient and Implications for the Fate of Planktonic Primary Production

Abstract

We measured water column variables and the sinking flux of C, N, P and pigments in 15 lakes which varied in algal biomass to determine (1) the relationship between sinking flux and suspended particulate concentrations, (2) if sinking rates of particles changed as a function of trophic status, and (3) the importance of sinking as a fate for phytoplankton production along a trophic gradient. Sinking flux was well predicted by metalimnetic algal pigment concentrations (chlorophyll + phaeopigments) and epilimnetic C:N ratios (R2 = 83–97%). Sinking rates of algal pigments were not significantly higher in lakes with higher chlorophyll concentrations. Predictions based on observed C sinking fluxes, water column chlorophyll, and an empirical relationship between primary production and chlorophyll concur with published observations in suggesting a slight negative relationship between production and the ratio of sinking flux to production. Our results challenge the notion that plankton communities in oligotrophic lakes are more efficient than those in eutrophic lakes in the retention of nutrients within the water column.