Phosphorus dynamics of the procaryotic nannoplankton in a Michigan lake1

The small‐celled cyanobacteria that dominate Third Sister Lake, Michigan, during summer have extraordinary uptake capabilities for phosphate. Under enriched conditions, the cells can double their phosphorus content in 2 min or less but can sustain the high rates for only a few minutes. With equal initial access to the nutrient, the small procaryotes are ultimately more successful than are coexisting eucaryotes in converting the nutrient into new cell biomass.