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<p>Warming temperatures and nutrient pollution are increasingly affecting aquatic ecosystems, making it crucial to understand their combined impacts on food webs. Despite substantial research on the individual effects of these environmental stressors, there remains a notable gap in knowledge regarding their synergistic effects, particularly those on the production of essential fatty acids in periphyton, an important trophic base of aquatic food webs.We therefore conducted a factorial microcosm experiment in which we manipulated phosphate (PO<sub>4</sub>-P) levels and temperature to quantify their interactive effects on the content of periphyton omega-3 (ω3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), in particular eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5ω3), and their precursors α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3ω3) and linoleic acid (LIN, 18:2ω6). Our results indicated that phosphorus enrichment generally increased periphyton ω3 LC-PUFA content, whereas elevated temperature offset phosphate-driven gains in EPA content. At 25&#xa0;°C, EPA content was higher at the high PO<sub>4</sub>-P enrichment level than at the low PO<sub>4</sub>-P level; at 30&#xa0;°C, EPA content at the high PO<sub>4</sub>-P enrichment level converged to that observed at 25&#xa0;°C under the low PO<sub>4</sub>-P condition, revealing a negative temperature × phosphate interaction. Such reductions in periphyton ω3 LC-PUFA content are likely to degrade basal food quality and undermine the stability of the trophic base of aquatic food webs. The results of this study underline the complex interplay between phosphorus enrichment and environmental warming on periphyton. By showing that a high level of PO<sub>4</sub>-P increased EPA content at 25&#xa0;°C, but not at 30&#xa0;°C, we have identified a thermal limit to nutrient benefits and call for joint temperature × phosphate targets to sustain basal ω3 LC-PUFA supply.</p>

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Warming offsets phosphorus-driven increases in periphyton omega-3 fatty acids

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月20日

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  • Bowei Zhou,
  • Zhenmin Yang,
  • Fen Guo,
  • Jiaqi You,
  • Martin J. Kainz,
  • Feilong Li,
  • Yuan Zhang

摘要

Warming temperatures and nutrient pollution are increasingly affecting aquatic ecosystems, making it crucial to understand their combined impacts on food webs. Despite substantial research on the individual effects of these environmental stressors, there remains a notable gap in knowledge regarding their synergistic effects, particularly those on the production of essential fatty acids in periphyton, an important trophic base of aquatic food webs.We therefore conducted a factorial microcosm experiment in which we manipulated phosphate (PO4-P) levels and temperature to quantify their interactive effects on the content of periphyton omega-3 (ω3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), in particular eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5ω3), and their precursors α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3ω3) and linoleic acid (LIN, 18:2ω6). Our results indicated that phosphorus enrichment generally increased periphyton ω3 LC-PUFA content, whereas elevated temperature offset phosphate-driven gains in EPA content. At 25 °C, EPA content was higher at the high PO4-P enrichment level than at the low PO4-P level; at 30 °C, EPA content at the high PO4-P enrichment level converged to that observed at 25 °C under the low PO4-P condition, revealing a negative temperature × phosphate interaction. Such reductions in periphyton ω3 LC-PUFA content are likely to degrade basal food quality and undermine the stability of the trophic base of aquatic food webs. The results of this study underline the complex interplay between phosphorus enrichment and environmental warming on periphyton. By showing that a high level of PO4-P increased EPA content at 25 °C, but not at 30 °C, we have identified a thermal limit to nutrient benefits and call for joint temperature × phosphate targets to sustain basal ω3 LC-PUFA supply.