Comment on "Nature of phosphorus limitation in the ultraoligotrophic eastern Mediterranean"

Science. 2006 Jun 23;312(5781):1748; author reply 1748. doi: 10.1126/science.1126131.

Abstract

Thingstad et al. (Reports, 12 August 2005, p. 1068) reported that in situ mesoscale phosphorus enrichment of the eastern Mediterranean Sea altered selected biological parameters and concluded that the added phosphorus was rapidly transferred from bacteria to mesozooplankton. However, because of a lack of replication and a misinterpretation of their statistical analyses, that conclusion is not supported by the data.

Publication types

  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Analysis of Variance
  • Animals
  • Bacteria / growth & development*
  • Bacteria / metabolism
  • Chlorophyll / analysis
  • Chlorophyll A
  • Copepoda / physiology
  • Ecosystem*
  • Food Chain*
  • Mediterranean Sea
  • Phosphates / metabolism
  • Phosphorus / analysis*
  • Phytoplankton / growth & development*
  • Phytoplankton / metabolism
  • Seawater / chemistry
  • Seawater / microbiology
  • Zooplankton / genetics
  • Zooplankton / metabolism

Substances

  • Phosphates
  • Chlorophyll
  • Phosphorus
  • Chlorophyll A