A Comparison of Phytoplankton and Algae Growing on Plexiglas Slides in an Oligotrophic Lake

✍ Scribed by Marco A. Rodriguez

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 732 KB
• Volume: 78
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1434-2944
• DOI: 10.1002/iroh.19930780212

✦ Synopsis

This study compares the composition and dynamics of phytoplankton communities and of periphyton communities growing on Plexiglas slides in a temperate oligotrophic lake. Ordination methods were used in the comparisons, which covered a three-month period during the summer. Plankton and periphyton communities differed considerably, and shared only six common taxa. An ephemeral Dinohyon pulse occurred simultaneously in both communities, and represented the largest source ofvariability in community composition. Recovery from the pulse was faster in the phytoplankton than in the periphyton. Attachment to substrata, through its effect on cell turnover times and nutrient cycling, is hypothesized to provide a temporal refuge for plankton species during periods of unfavorable environmental conditions.