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Benthic diatom communities in subalpine pools in New Zealand: relationships to environmental variables

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Advances in Algal Biology: A Commemoration of the Work of Rex Lowe

Part of the book series: Developments in Hydrobiology ((DIHY,volume 185))

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Abstract

In spite of their potential use as indicators of both present and past environmental conditions, little is known about the diatom communities in the many small water bodies at high altitudes in New Zealand. We sampled benthic diatoms at 20 sites in a typical subalpine mire pool/tarn complex near Arthur’s Pass in South Island, New Zealand in the austral spring 2001. The aims were to characterise the diatom communities, including identification of a possible endemic component, and to investigate relationships with environmental variables. The community at genus level was consistent with the peat-bog diatom flora reported from elsewhere except for the common occurrence of the Tasmania/New Zealand endemic genus Eunophora. At the species level, 27 of the 52 most common taxa appear to correspond to known species from the Northern Hemisphere and are therefore presumed to be cosmopolitan in their distribution. Just two taxa are known from the Southern Hemisphere only, however identification of the remaining common species proved problematic. Analysis using the BIO-ENV procedure of the PRIMER computer program confirmed an expected strong association between diatom community composition and pH, with water conductivity and gilvin also important. Weighted averaging regression and cross-validation using C2 software enabled selection of four diatom species as potentially sensitive indicators of certain pH levels. Neither species of Eunophora showed a strong preference for pH or for any of the other environmental variables measured, indicating that other factors are determining their distributions. The strength of the species-environment relationships found in this small survey suggests good potential for monitoring current conditions and for palaeoecological applications. Extension of the dataset with information from other alpine/subalpine areas is desirable, as is the compilation of a regional diatom identification guide for these habitats.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NIWA, 8602, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Cathy Kilroy & Barry J. F. Biggs

  2. Laboratory of Protistology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Gent, Krijgslaan 281 - S8, B-9000, Gent, Belgium

    Wim Vyverman

  3. School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Paul A. Broady

Authors
  1. Cathy Kilroy
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  2. Barry J. F. Biggs
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  3. Wim Vyverman
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  4. Paul A. Broady
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA

    R. Jan Stevenson

  2. Environmental Science and Resources, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, 97207, USA

    Yangdong Pan

  3. California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, 94118, USA

    J. Patrick Kociolek

  4. Natural Resources Research Institute, 1900 E. Camp St., Ely, Minnesota, 55731, USA

    John C. Kingston

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Kilroy, C., Biggs, B.J.F., Vyverman, W., Broady, P.A. (2006). Benthic diatom communities in subalpine pools in New Zealand: relationships to environmental variables. In: Stevenson, R.J., Pan, Y., Kociolek, J.P., Kingston, J.C. (eds) Advances in Algal Biology: A Commemoration of the Work of Rex Lowe. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 185. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-5070-4_7

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