Potential Research Project
Nutrient enrichment is a pervasive threat to shallow, aquatic ecosystems, as subsequent accumulation of algae and detritus at the sediment-water interface radically alters trophic structure and biogeochemical cycling. Changes in productivity and biomass of benthic micro- and macroalgae, diversity of microalgae, macroalgal tissue nitrogen content, sediment nutrient fluxes and sediment nitrogen fixation will be examined in order to demonstrate the important links between benthic community structure, biogeochemical processes, and algal growth in estuaries subject to eutrophication. |
