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RE: Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #24



I am replying to  the comment about rooted plants outcompeting algae
for nutrients.  Scientifically, there is no good basis for this statement
if you mean nutrients in the water.  Research has shown that rooted 
plants take most of their required nitrogen and phosphorus from the 
sediment, not the water.  Algae are much more efficient at taking up
nutrients from the water than rooted plants.  However, the dense plants
will keep the sediment nutrients from leaching into the water, which
then in turn promotes algal growth.

John D. Madsen, PhD
Research Biologist
US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station
Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility
RR#3 Box 446
Lewisville, TX   75056-9720
PH. (214) 436-2215
FAX (214) 436-1402
e-mail: madsen at elmsg_wes.army.mil