1. Introduction
Phosphorus (P) remains a global nutrient of concern in many natural waterways. Phosphorus found in agricultural and residential fertilizers, cattle feed, and reclaimed water eventually finds its way into streams, rivers, and lakes. Excessive P loads can cause eutrophic or hyper-eutrophic conditions in these surface waters, which are characterized by excessive primary productivity, reduction or depletion of dissolved oxygen (DO), stressed aquatic organisms, and altered or simplified trophic structure (Liu, 2007, Mitsch and Gosselink, 2007 and Sengupta and Pandit, 2011). Changes in trophic structure have been documented in the Florida Everglades, where high P loads promote the growth of Typha latifola (cattail) at the expense of previously abundant Cladium jamaicense (sawgrass) ( Davis, 1997).