WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
A 22-day mesocosm experiment manipulating colored dissolved organic matter and iron availability initially increased small phytoplankton despite lower light, but later treatment differences weakened after phytoplankton and microzooplankton declined under mesozooplankton grazing.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
Browning and micronutrient chemistry can alter early plankton succession without determining the final community trajectory; food-web interactions can override a strong bottom-up signal.
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
This was a short controlled mesocosm experiment. The treatment chemistry simplifies natural catchment inputs, and the inferred food-web mechanism needs field validation across seasons and coastal systems.
SOURCE
Microbial Ecology
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