A number of mechanisms can be identified in the biogeochemical cycles of lakes. They imply a temporary or permanent storage of a fraction of some key elements off the cycle, going out of the water and into the atmosphere (oxygen, nitrogen) or in to the sediments (carbon, phosphorus). These bypasses act as hydraulic brakes, slowing down cycles and reducing the amount of the elements involved in them. The whole set of mechanisms acts as a stabilizing agent, and can work or counteract any process of eutrophication, pushing the system back to more oligotrophic conditions. Set in this frame, stability is one manifestation of the workings of the ecosystem not essentially different from succession

Peer reviewed

16 pages