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Periphyton dynamics in a temperature-light gradient

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Lake Veluwe, a Macrophyte-dominated System under Eutrophication Stress

Part of the book series: Geobotany ((GEOB,volume 21))

Abstract

Periphyton was cultured on glass slides in a laboratory set-up combining three temperatures (10, 15 and 20 °C) and three irradiances (50, 100 and 200 μE m−2 s−1), with nutrient concentrations simulating eutrophic conditions. Replicate biomass (mg cm−2, ash-free dry weight = afdw) and attenuance (irradiance transmittance reduction relative to blanks) samples were taken every second or third day for a period of 49 days.

Differences in temperature caused more significant differences in logistic growth curves of biomass and algal taxonomic composition than did differences in irradiance. Scenedesmus became the dominant genus at high temperature, while Navicula dominated at low temperature and low irradiance. Maximum periphyton biomass (1.5–3.0 mg cmcm−2 afdw) and instantaneous growth rates that were reached are within the range reported for periphytic mats. Only periphyton dominated by filamentous green algae reached biomasses that were one order of magnitude higher.

Most significant differences between attenuance-biomass curves existed between different irradiances. This pattern is different from that of the growth curves. The different periphyton communities apparently were able to acclimate efficiently to the different irradiance regimes: under low irradiance the initial slope of the curves was steeper, i.e. attenuance per unit biomass increased more, than under high irradiance.

Suspensions of periphytic communities systematically underestimated attenuance of the intact communities by about 40%. Application of Lambert-Beer’s law for exponential extinction appeared invalid since intact periphyton communities did not behave as dilute homogeneous suspensions. A rectangular hyperbola was shown to describe the relation between proportional attenuance and periphyton biomass satisfactorily.

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  1. J. E. Vermaat
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  2. M. J. M. Hootsmans
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Wim van Vierssen Michiel Hootsmans Jan Vermaat

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Vermaat, J.E., Hootsmans, M.J.M. (1994). Periphyton dynamics in a temperature-light gradient. In: van Vierssen, W., Hootsmans, M., Vermaat, J. (eds) Lake Veluwe, a Macrophyte-dominated System under Eutrophication Stress. Geobotany, vol 21. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2032-6_12

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