Nitrate uptake rate of intertidal seaweed

What is it about?

Nutrient uptake rate (the rate at which nutrients are extracted from the environment) of marine algae is directly related to the concentration of nutrients available in the environment. But nutrient concentrations can vary seasonally and geographically. Additionally, for intertidal algae the amount time individuals have access to nutrients depends on their position on the shore, or tide height. Therefore, we conducted a series of observations and transplant experiments to examine how variation in tide height, season, and geographic interact to affect nutrient uptake rate of algae.

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Why is it important?

Here we demonstrate that nutrient uptake rates of intertidal algae depend on tide height; individuals living at higher tide heights had faster nutrient uptake rates relative to individuals living at lower tide heights. But this observation depended on three things. 1) In situ nutrient concentration at the time of specimen collection, 2) algal tissue nutrient status, and 3) region or geographic location. Our work demonstrates how complex interactions between spatial and temporal nutrient availability can shape phenotypic variation in marine algal nutrient physiology.