Abstract
Nutrients are pivotal in the structure and function of river ecosystems. As essential resources they control primary production and decomposition processes, and influence metabolic pathways in the riparian, parafluvial and hyporheic zones (e. g. Duff & Triska, 2000; Wetzel, 2001). Surprisingly few year-round studies, however, have quantified concentrations and fluxes of all major nutrient fractions; this is particularly true for remote alpine and arctic areas (Tockner et al., 2002, and references therein). The fractionation of nutrients into dissolved and particulate forms, and into inorganic and organic components, is essential for a comprehensive understanding of nutrient dynamics.
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Tockner, K., Illi, R., Malard, F., Uehlinger, U. (2003). Nutrient Dynamics. In: Ward, J.V., Uehlinger, U. (eds) Ecology of a Glacial Flood Plain. Aquatic Ecology Series, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0181-5_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0181-5_6
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