Abstract
The response of epiphytic communities to short-term variations in environmental conditions was measured at the outer zone of an Equisetum fluviatile stand for an 18-day period. The epiphytic biomass was maximal after a period of bright and calm weather, but then during a week of cloudy weather two thirds of the epiphytic material disappeared. The epiphytic material was first quite evenly distributed along the macrophyte shoots to a depth of 50–60 cm, but a small change in the wind direction seemed to detach the diatom, Fragilaria capucina Desm., near the water surface. When light conditions worsened the algal dominance changed; Fragilaria capucina was replaced by filamentous green algae, Oedogonium spp., which were more tightly attached to their substrate. This change in the algal community composition and biomass was also reflected in their contribution to the total primary production of the macrophyte zone. The total number of herbivores (oligochaetes + chironomid larvae) in the epiphytic communities remained quite constant. The results of this study also reveal the importance of sampling intervals when measuring periphyton accumulation on plates.
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© 1983 Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague
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Kairesalo, T. (1983). Dynamics of epiphytic communities on Equisetum fluviatile L.. In: Wetzel, R.G. (eds) Periphyton of Freshwater Ecosystems. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 17. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7293-3_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7293-3_21
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