Phosphorus is still recognized as the element driving the matter cycling in freshwater ecosystems. It is the key nutrient in productivity and eutrophication process of lakes and reservoirs. The bottom sediments cumulatively formed inside and in-shore of lakes play a crucial role in accumulation/sorption of phosphorus organic compounds, as well as in release/desorption of the compounds available for uptake by producers and microbial heterotrophs. These two opposite processes are dependent on the chemical composition of sediments and on the site conditions (like oxygen, pH) in over-bottom layers. About three hundred of the sediment surface layer samples were taken from the lacustrine habitats in a variety of lakes typical for postglacial landscape (Masurian Lakeland, Poland): profundal and littoral zones in lakes forming a trophic gradient including a humic lake, river/lake ecotone zone and wetland sites adjacent to lake shoreline. The contents of Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn and Al were analysed as well as the amount of total P (TP) and its three basic groups i.e. easily exchangeable, hardly exchangeable and non-exchangeable fractions. It was found that the sediments of humic lake had the most different, distinct chemical composition and contained very small amounts of Fe, Mn, Mg and Ca - nearly 30 times less than sediments of other, non-humic lakes. These sediments contained the most of organic matter and similar (as in non-humic lakes) amounts of TP whose dominant part (80%) consists of hardly exchangeable organic fraction. Sediments of lakes forming the trophic gradient along the small (15 km long) river (Jorka River) showed consistent changes in the chemical composition. Sediments of lakes situated up the river system (meso- and meso-eutrophic lakes) had higher content of organic matter and Ca but lower content of TP, Fe and Mg than sediments of lakes in the lower part of the river system (eutrophic and hypertrophic lakes). The content of these elements was also higher in profundal than in littoral sediments. Significantly higher content (40-70%) of non-exchangeable P was found in sediments of eutrophic and hypertrophic lakes than in sediments of meso- and meso-eutrophic lakes (30-60%) in both the littoral and profundal zones. Sediments of the river-lake-river ecotones (Krutynia River) showed also the consistent changes of element content along the river flow through the lake. The amount of TP was lower in riverine sediments down and upstream the lake than in lake sediments. Organic matter and Fe contents were lower and Ca, Mg, Mn and Al contents were higher in river-lake-river ecotones or similar to those in sediments of the lakes from the trophic gradient. Easily exchangeable phosphorus prevailed in lake sediments; TP in riverine sediments was dominated by hardly exchangeable and non-exchangeable forms and was similar to that found in littoral sediments of lakes from the trophic gradient. Inshore wetland sediments were characterised by a high content of organic matter - higher than in littoral and profundal sediments of lakes forming the trophic gradient. The content of Ca, Mg, Mn and Fe was two to five times lower than in sediments of lakes from the trophic gradient but similar to sediments of humic lake. They also contained less TP than profundal sediments from the trophic gradient and humic lakes but had similar content to littoral and riverine sediments. As in the case of profundal and riverine sediments, non-exchangeable and hardly exchangeable P fractions dominated TP content in wetland inshore sediments. Almost all phosphorus accumulated in these sediments is associated with a high organic matter deposition. The study results concern the basic types of lake and lacustrine habitats representative for the postglacial landscape of north and north-east Europe. A significant diversity of sediment origin, chemical composition and phosphorus amount and its potential mobility was found among the sediment types. The wetland and humic sediments appeared to be active in cumulation and stabilisation of P resources while sediment of non-humic, trophic lakes (especially in profundal zoners) are the active sites for P release and sorption processes.
