Elser, James J.Devlin, Shawn P.Yu, JinleiBaumann, AdamChurch, Matthew J.Dore, John E.Hall, Robert O.Hollar, MelodyJohnson, TylerVick-Majors, TristaWhite, Cassidy2022-12-142022-12-142022-07Elser, James J., Shawn P. Devlin, Jinlei Yu, Adam Baumann, Matthew J. Church, John E. Dore, Robert O. Hall Jr et al. "Sustained stoichiometric imbalance and its ecological consequences in a large oligotrophic lake." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119, no. 30 (2022): e2202268119.0027-8424https://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/17530Considerable attention is given to absolute nutrient levels in lakes, rivers, and oceans, but less is paid to their relative concentrations, their nitrogen:phosphorus (N:P) stoichiometry, and the consequences of imbalanced stoichiometry. Here, we report 38 y of nutrient dynamics in Flathead Lake, a large oligotrophic lake in Montana, and its inflows. While nutrient levels were low, the lake had sustained high total N: total P ratios (TN:TP: 60 to 90:1 molar) throughout the observation period. N and P loading to the lake as well as loading N:P ratios varied considerably among years but showed no systematic long-term trend. Surprisingly, TN:TP ratios in river inflows were consistently lower than in the lake, suggesting that forms of P in riverine loading are removed preferentially to N. In-lake processes, such as differential sedimentation of P relative to N or accumulation of fixed N in excess of denitrification, likely also operate to maintain the lake’s high TN:TP ratios. Regardless of causes, the lake’s stoichiometric imbalance is manifested in P limitation of phytoplankton growth during early and midsummer, resulting in high C:P and N:P ratios in suspended particulate matter that propagate P limitation to zooplankton. Finally, the lake’s imbalanced N:P stoichiometry appears to raise the potential for aerobic methane production via metabolism of phosphonate compounds by P-limited microbes. These data highlight the importance of not only absolute N and P levels in aquatic ecosystems, but also their stoichiometric balance, and they call attention to potential management implications of high N:P ratios.en-UScc-by-nc-ndhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/phosphorusnitrogenstoichiometrylimnologyecosystemArticle