Chlorophyll content of seston in a regulated Rocky Mountain river, Idaho, USA

Abstract

The chlorophyll content of seston at four sites in a regulated mid-order Rocky Mountain river, Henry's Fork of the Snake River, Idaho, USA, was examined. Spectrometry was used to determine the amount of chlorophyll a, b, c and in seston and potential organic matter sources including macrophytes, algae, plankton, and terrestial plant litter. The amount of chlorophyll in seston varied among size fractions, sites, and seasons. Coarse seston (6–1 mm) contained the most chlorophyll a (2.3 mg g⁻¹ ashfree dry mass [AFDM]) followed by ultra fine seston (53–0.3 µm; 1.9 mg g⁻¹ AFDM), very coarse seston (> 6 mm, 1.8 mg g⁻¹ AFDM), very fine seston (250–53 µm; 1.3 mg g⁻¹ AFDM), and fine seston (1–0.25 mm; 0.7 mg g⁻¹ AFDM). Chlorophyll content of coarse seston was similar at all sites reflecting a common source, aquatic macrophyte debris. Chlorophyll content of coarse and fine seston were highest in fall reflecting the importance of phenology of aquatic plants on sestonic pigment levels. Very fine seston from below a reservoir contained more chlorophyll than seston from downstream and tributary sites suggesting a reservoir source. Terrestial plant litter was chlorophyll depleted compared to autochthonous materials and seston. Most seston was autochthonously-derived from a variety of macrophyte, algal, and planktonic sources. The chlorophyll content of Henry's Fork seston was higher than that reported for similar rivers. Island Park Dam moderates river temperature and flow, enhances autotrophy, and accounts for the consistently high sestonic chlorophyll levels.