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To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the seasonal fluctuations of endogenous phosphorus in shallow lake sediments, field sampling and laboratory simulations (controlling key parameters such as temperature and dissolved oxygen) of the overlying water environment across different seasons were conducted. This was integrated with sediment phosphorus form extraction and microbial functional gene quantification techniques to systematically reveal the seasonal patterns and driving mechanisms of endogenous phosphorus transformation. The results indicate that the seasonal fluctuations of internal phosphorus in shallow lakes are driven by overlying water conditions and involve shifts among the "mineralization-dissolution-uptake-storage" processes. In spring, high expression of the organic phosphorus mineralization gene (ugpQ) drove the dissolution of calcium-bound phosphorus(decreased by 70.56 mg/kg). Summer was characterized by a coupled microbial release-uptake process, dominated by reductive dissolution of iron-bound phosphorus (decreased by 108.55 mg/kg) alongside increased expression of the low-affinity phosphate transporter gene (pit2). The process of autumn shifted to a regime characterized by abiotic-dominated dissolution of calcium-bound phosphorus (decreased by 70.55 mg/kg), while microorganisms concurrently enhanced phosphorus uptake via the high-affinity phosphate transport system (indicated by high pst gene expression). In winter, cold-tolerant bacterial communities activated the carbon-phosphorus lyase gene (phn) to utilize refractory phosphorus. This study deepens the understanding of the coupled biochemical mechanisms governing endogenous phosphorus fluctuations.
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