Concentrations of lipid-phosphorus (LP) in aquatic ecosystems can be influenced by algal biomass and the nutritional state of microbial communities, potentially serving a useful indicator of P-limitation. We examined the effectiveness of LP as a bioindicator by examining concentrations of LP and environmental factors controlling its abundance across Lake Erie and its tributaries. LP concentrations were correlated with chlorophyll a (Chl a) and total suspended solids, total P, and particulate carbon (PC), nitrogen, and P (PP) in both river and lake waters, while dissolved nutrients were only related to lake LP concentrations. Tributary LP was generally higher than in-lake values, and stoichiometric relationships between PC, PP, and LP indicated that Chl a was correlated with tributary LP. Chl a, bacterial production, and LP concentrations decreased significantly across nutrient gradients going from the west to east across the lake. Consistent relationships between lake particulate C:P ratios and Chl a: LP ratios were found across seasons, and higher values of both in August suggested algal P-limitation during this period. To further explore environmental controls on LP, we compared the relative influence of temperature, phytoplankton taxonomy, and water chemistry on lake LP concentrations. Though LP was correlated with well-known factors associated with cyanobacterial abundance in the lake (temperature and ammonium), particulate biomass and algal P-limitation seemed to be the most important correlates of LP concentration, suggesting that Chl a:LP ratios could provide a metric of P-limitation in aquatic ecosystems.

藻类生物量和微生物群落的营养状况可能会影响水生生态系统中脂质-磷（LP）的浓度，可能是P限制的有用指标。我们通过检查LP的浓度和控制伊利湖及其支流的丰度的环境因素，检查了LP作为生物指示剂的有效性。LP浓度与河流和湖泊水中的叶绿素a（Chl a）和总悬浮固体，总P以及颗粒碳（PC），氮和P（PP）相关，而溶解的养分仅与湖泊LP浓度有关。支流LP通常比在湖值更高，PC，PP，和LP之间的化学计量关系表明，叶绿素一个与支流LP相关。在整个湖中，从西部到东部的营养梯度中，Chla ，细菌产生和LP浓度均显着下降。湖微粒℃之间一致的关系：P比和叶绿素一个：LP的比例随季节变化而变化，8月份的LP和LP值均较高，表明在此期间藻类P限度。为了进一步探索对LP的环境控制，我们比较了温度，浮游植物分类学和水化学对LP浓度的相对影响。虽然LP用与蓝藻丰度在湖（温度和铵）相关联的公知的因素相关，颗粒生物质和藻类P-限制似乎是唱片集中的最重要的相关因素，这表明叶绿素一个：LP比率可以提供一个水生生态系统中P限制的指标。