Particulate Phosphorus Dynamics in Headwater Streams

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Abstract
We examined the dynamics of particulate phosphorus (PP) in seven headwater streams of southern Quebec draining catchments differing in size, extent of forest cover, and stream channel gradient. The extent of forest cover can be used to predict average [PP]. The magnitude of the temporal fluctuations (variance) in [PP] was strongly related to mean levels. While most streams showed positive relationships between discharge and [PP] in rain events, inverse relations were observed in two streams and possibly the result of the rapid exhaustion of PP. Inverse relationships were also seen in these two streams for samples collected outside rain events. We present a model based on channel gradient and extent of forest cover to predict the slope coefficient of [PP]–discharge relationships and also the occurrence of very rapid exhaustion. We then extend this model to include the influence of precipitation history and catchment size on [PP] in headwater streams. This model accounted for 60% of the variation of the pooled observations from all seven streams and is comparable in predictive power with stream-specific models published elsewhere in the literature.