Ecological Stoichiometry — Redfield Ratio

Alfred Redfield (1934) found oceanic phytoplankton maintain C:N:P = 106:16:1 by atoms, matching dissolved seawater nutrients. This near-universal ratio links marine biology to ocean chemistry. Liebig's Law: the scarcest nutrient limits growth.

C:N ratio (organism)6.63
N:P ratio (organism)16.0
Available N (μmol/L)16.0
Available P (μmol/L)1.0
Available C (μmol/L)106
C:N:P set
106:16:1
Limiting nutrient
P
Biomass possible
100%
Redfield deviation
0.0%

Redfield ratio: C:N:P = 106:16:1 — the universal currency of marine life