Tonlé Sap
Because sediment contains nutrients that fuel food webs, the Tonlé Sap benefits from the influx. Sediment-bound phosphorus serves as food for phytoplankton through higher plants, and research has shown that the metabolizing of the chemical contributes to food abundance and quality. Internal nutrient cycling, therefore, plays an essential role in productivity of a floodplain. The nutrients bound to suspended sediments are important for the Tonlé Sap system, particularly its long-term sustainability.