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Factors controlling the seasonal development and distribution of the phytoplankton community in the lowland course of a large river in Northern Italy (River Adige)

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Abstract

The principal environmental factors influencing the seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton were examined from September 1997 to July 1998 in three stations along a 26-km stretch of the lowland course of River Adige (northeast Italy). Nutrient concentrations did not appear to be limiting for the phytoplankton growth. Annual minimum concentrations of reactive and total phosphorus, and dissolved inorganic nitrogen were 22 μg P l−1, 63 μg P l−1 and 0.9 mg N l−1, respectively. The most critical forcing factors were physical variables, mainly water discharge and other variables related to hydrology, i.e. suspended solids and turbidity, which acted negatively and synchronously by diluting phytoplankton cells and decreasing light availability. Higher algal biomass was recorded in early spring, in conditions of lower flow velocity and increasing water temperature. In late spring and summer, higher water discharge caused a decrease in phytoplankton biomass. Conversely, low algal biomass in late autumn and winter, during low discharge, was mainly related to low water temperatures and shorter photoperiod. Physical constraints had a significant and measurable effect not only on the development of total biomass, but also on the temporal dynamics of the phytoplankton community. Abiotic and biotic variables showed a comparable temporal development in the three sampling stations. The small number of instances of spatial differences in phytoplankton abundance during the period of lower flow velocity were related to the increasing importance of biological processes and accumulation of phytoplankton biomass.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Basin Authority of River Adige and the Veneto Region. Chemical analyses were carried out at the LASA Department of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Padova by Dr. Marco Carrer. We are grateful to Dr. Ramesh Gulati for valuable comments and editing of the manuscript. An earlier version of this work received helpful suggestions from three anonymous reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resources Department, Limnology and Fish Research Unit, IASMA Research Centre, Via E. Mach, 1, San Michele all’Adige, Trento, I-38010, Italy

    Nico Salmaso

  2. Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via U. Bassi, 58/B, Padova, I-35131, Italy

    Maria G. Braioni

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  1. Nico Salmaso
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Correspondence to Nico Salmaso.

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Salmaso, N., Braioni, M.G. Factors controlling the seasonal development and distribution of the phytoplankton community in the lowland course of a large river in Northern Italy (River Adige). Aquat Ecol 42, 533–545 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-007-9135-x

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