Stimulation of Nitrate Uptake and Photosynthesis by Molybdenum in Castle Lake, California

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The uptake rates of 15NO3 and 14CO2 by the natural phytoplankton community at Castle Lake, California, were measured in situ as responses to 5 μg∙L−1 additions of molybdenum. Stimulation of both nitrate uptake and photosynthesis occurred in water samples containing only relatively high amounts of nitrate. This response to added molybdenum disappeared as the growing season progressed and nitrate was depleted in the euphotic zone. Although molybdenum stimulated nitrate uptake by 55% in water collected from the lower euphotic zone, it did not increase the rate of CO2 uptake because at that depth the rate of photosynthesis was most limited by light intensity and not by nitrogen. An analysis of molybdenum bioassays from 1959 to 1963 is integrated with these findings and points to the importance of molybdenum for phytoplankton growth during the early portion of the growing season when nitrate concentrations in the euphotic zone are maximal.Key words: molybdenum, nitrate, nitrate uptake, micronutrient bioassays

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: