Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Microbial Wastewater Treatment01:30

Microbial Wastewater Treatment

Microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems play a key role in the natural breakdown of contaminants introduced through domestic and industrial effluents. Acting as biological catalysts, these microbes change and mineralize a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants under different redox conditions.In oxygen-rich surface waters, aerobic heterotrophs lead organic matter breakdown, using oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor to efficiently oxidize substrates to carbon dioxide and water.
The Phosphorus Cycle01:21

The Phosphorus Cycle

Unlike carbon, water, and nitrogen, phosphorus is not present in the atmosphere as a gas. Instead, most phosphorus in the ecosystem exists as compounds, such as phosphate ions (PO43-), found in soil, water, sediment and rocks. Phosphorus is often a limiting nutrient (i.e., in short supply). Consequently, phosphorus is added to most agricultural fertilizers, which can cause environmental problems related to runoff in aquatic ecosystems.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Regional variation in mercury bioaccumulation of Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula): A case study from inland and coastal reaches of the Brazos River, Texas, USA.

Ecotoxicology (London, England)·2026
Same author

Rethinking calibration as a statistical estimation problem to improve measurement accuracy.

Analytica chimica acta·2025
Same author

A Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach can improve measurement accuracy of microcystin concentrations.

Chemosphere·2025
Same author

Lake Erie summer chlorophyll phenology: a Bayesian additive regression trees comparison of growth and decay phases.

Water research·2025
Same author

Short-term probabilistic microcystin prediction using Bayesian model averaging.

Journal of environmental management·2025
Same author

Defining algal bloom phenology in Lake Erie.

Harmful algae·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Capturing Flow-weighted Water and Suspended Particulates from Agricultural Canals During Drainage Events
06:26

Capturing Flow-weighted Water and Suspended Particulates from Agricultural Canals During Drainage Events

Published on: November 7, 2017

Estimating ecological thresholds for phosphorus in the Everglades.

Curtis J Richardson1, Ryan S King, Song S Qian

  • 1Wetland Center, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA. curtr@duke.edu

Environmental Science & Technology
|January 12, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Excessive phosphorus in Florida Everglades causes ecological imbalance. A Bayesian analysis reveals a critical threshold zone (12-15 µg/L) for total phosphorus to maintain ecosystem health.

More Related Videos

Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading
10:49

Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading

Published on: March 6, 2014

Measuring Phosphorus Release in Laboratory Microcosms for Water Quality Assessment
06:42

Measuring Phosphorus Release in Laboratory Microcosms for Water Quality Assessment

Published on: July 22, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Capturing Flow-weighted Water and Suspended Particulates from Agricultural Canals During Drainage Events
06:26

Capturing Flow-weighted Water and Suspended Particulates from Agricultural Canals During Drainage Events

Published on: November 7, 2017

Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading
10:49

Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading

Published on: March 6, 2014

Measuring Phosphorus Release in Laboratory Microcosms for Water Quality Assessment
06:42

Measuring Phosphorus Release in Laboratory Microcosms for Water Quality Assessment

Published on: July 22, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Environmental Science
  • Bayesian Statistics

Background:

  • The Florida Everglades faces ecological shifts due to high total phosphorus (TP) loadings from agricultural runoff and Lake Okeechobee.
  • Despite stormwater treatment areas, elevated TP concentrations (69 µg/L in 2004) disrupt native flora and fauna.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify critical total phosphorus (TP) thresholds that cause ecological imbalance in the Florida Everglades.
  • To apply a Bayesian changepoint analysis to long-term experimental data for determining these thresholds.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized Bayesian changepoint analysis on long-term experimental data.
  • Analyzed ecological responses across algal, macrophyte, and macroinvertebrate assemblages.
  • Assessed community structure changes in relation to surface water TP concentrations.

Main Results:

  • Exceeding a surface water geometric mean TP concentration of 15 µg/L triggers ecological imbalance.
  • A TP threshold zone of 12-15 µg/L is proposed for all trophic levels, accounting for uncertainty and seasonal variations.
  • Exterior Everglades areas near inflow structures exceed proposed TP thresholds, while interior areas remain below.

Conclusions:

  • A TP threshold zone is crucial for protecting Everglades ecosystems from nutrient pollution.
  • The Bayesian approach effectively identifies ecological tipping points and stable states in aquatic systems.
  • Findings are applicable to managing nutrient levels and ecological stability in other aquatic environments.