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Periphyton response to simulated nonpoint source pollution: local over regional control

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We investigated functional and structural responses of periphyton communities to simulated nonpoint source (NPS) pollution over a 2-year period. Periphyton communities were examined in three unique but hydrologically connected habitats in the lower Muskegon River: river, wetland, and lake. Our study addressed several major questions: (1) what are the effects of nonpoint source pollutants on periphyton structure and function, (2) to what degree do environmental conditions, including the pollutant delivery system and hydrologic conditions, affect periphyton response, and (3) do periphyton communities show synchronous responses to nonpoint source pollution? Nutrients were added over a 21-day period in each of the four seasons over 2 years. The effect of road salt on metabolism was evaluated in the winter and spring seasons in the river habitat only. In general, the periphyton community showed complex responses to the NPS amendments, but there was little evidence of nutrient limitation in this system based on community structure, biomass accrual, metabolism, or alkaline phosphatase activity. This result was unexpected given the relatively low ambient concentrations of phosphorus. We discuss the possibilities that nutrient delivery was ineffective or that herbivory and/or irradiance might have constrained periphyton growth, but ultimately conclude that our results suggest that periphyton communities in the lower Muskegon River watershed were (1) nutrient-replete, (2) tolerant of short-term salt additions, and (3) influenced more by local conditions (habitat) than by regional (watershed) factors. In systems where nonpoint source pollutant delivery is diffuse and hydrologic residence time is short, the influence of nonpoint source pollutants on periphyton may be either modest or too difficult to detect using traditional endpoints.

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Acknowledgments

We express our gratitude to Matt Cooper, Pete Hrodey, Adam Bosch, Eric Nemeth, Lori Nemeth, Aaron Parker, Jeffrey Berkebile, Nathan Maier, Mandi Seeger, Heidi Zajack, and Megan Zemke for their assistance with fieldwork and laboratory processing. Discussions with Pat Mulholland and Steve Francoeur regarding our findings improved the manuscript. Comments from Gary Lamberti and an anonymous reviewer improved the manuscript and are greatly appreciated. Funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Education under grant award U215K050182.

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  1. Kelly Wessell

    Present address: Department of Biology, Tompkins Cortland Community College, Dryden, NY, 13053, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Annis Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University, 740 West Shoreline Drive, Muskegon, MI, 49441, USA

    Alan D. Steinman, Mary E. Ogdahl, Bopi Biddanda & Scott Kendall

  2. Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI, 54751, USA

    Stephen Nold

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  1. Alan D. Steinman
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Correspondence to Alan D. Steinman.

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10452_2011_9366_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Mean (±SE) alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) of periphyton on clay tiles collected from NPS experimental arrays: A) river, B) wetland, C) lake. B = Before nutrients (i.e., day 0); A = After nutrients (i.e., day 21). * denotes statistical significance at P < 0.05 (TIFF 32819 kb)

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Steinman, A.D., Ogdahl, M.E., Wessell, K. et al. Periphyton response to simulated nonpoint source pollution: local over regional control. Aquat Ecol 45, 439–454 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-011-9366-8

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