When dissolved in water, compounds of nitrogen and phosphorus ought to contain the basic assimilated food requirements for autotrophic plants and therefore autotrophic algae. This article summarises the occurrence of nitrogen in water, how species of algae utilize nitrogen and phosphorus forms for growth and the capacities of algae to adapt to environments of different nutrient wealth. This topic has unquestionable importance not only for the purpose of survival of a species but also in deciding indirectly about the stability of ecosystems. | Translated from Polish into English