Algal Competition for Phosphorus: The Influence of Zooplankton and Fish

Interspecific competition for phosphorus between the blue-green alga Anabaena flos-aquae and the green alga Staurastrum luetkemuelleri was studied in enclosure experiments. Both algal populations increased in number upon introduction of fish, but addition of herbivorous zooplankton led to an increase solely in the Staurastrum population. This could not be attributed to grazing by zooplankton, chemical or physical conditions (light, pH, inorganic carbon), or the total supply or rate of supply of phosphorus. The observed differences were apparently due to the patchy release of phosphorus by the fish, and the more homogenous release of this nutrient by the zooplankton. This would allow the Anabaena species, which was capable of rapid uptake of temporary pulses of phosphate, to coexist with Staurastrum in the enclosures with fish.