Phosphorus-Limited Growth of the Tropical Seagrass Syringodium-Filiforme in Carbonate Sediments

Seagrasses, along with all other marine primary producers, are generally considered to be nitrogen limited. Now experimental enrichments of the tropical seagrass Syringodium filiforme Kütz. show that phosphorus, rather than nitrogen, can be the primary limiting nutrient in a marine carbonate environment. Phosphorus enrichment of carbonate sediments resulted in dramatic increases in seagrass growth, biomass, and tissue phosphorus composition. Additionally, rhizosphere nitrogen fixation increased in response to phosphorus enrichment, potentially making more nitrogen available to the plants.

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