water Article Identifying the Mechanisms behind the Positive Feedback Loop between Nitrogen Cycling and Algal Blooms in a Shallow Eutrophic Lake Yu Yao 1,2, Huaji Liu 1,2,* , Ruiming Han 1,2 , Dujun Li 1,2 and Limin Zhang 3,4 1 School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China;
[email protected] (Y.Y.);
[email protected] (R.H.);
[email protected] (D.L.) 2 Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Nanjing 210023, China 3 Green Economy Development Institute, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, Nanjing 210023, China;
[email protected] 4 Jiangsu Engineering Lab of Water and Soil Eco-Remediation, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel./Fax: +86-025-83787332 Abstract: Algal blooms have increased in frequency, intensity, and duration in response to nitrogen (N) cycling in freshwater ecosystems. We conducted a high-resolution sedimentary study of N transformation and its associated microbial activity in Lake Taihu to assess the accumulation rates of the different N fractions in response to algal blooms, aiming to understand the mechanisms of N cycling in lacustrine environments. Downcore nitrification and denitrification processes were measured simultaneously in situ via diffusive gradients in thin-films technique, peeper, and mi- croelectrode devices in a region of intensified algal blooms of shallow lake. The decomposition of different biomasses of algal blooms did not change the main controlling factor on different N Citation: Yao, Y.; Liu, H.; Han, R.; Li, fractions in profundal sediment. However, the decomposition of different algal biomasses led to D.; Zhang, L.