| Abstract: | A crustose, nodular mat, primarily composed of Calothrix sp. and Pleurocapsa sp., occurs in some alkaline hot springs of the western United States. Together, these species constituted ca. 71% of the mat biomass; the remainder was partitioned between other cyanophytes and bacteria. Their temperature growth ranges in culture were 24–50 C (Calothrix) and 30–55 C (Pleurocapsa). Both clonal cultures had maximal growth rates at 45 C (Pleurocapsa, 1.28 doublings/24 h; Calothrix 2.30). Calothrix grew at approximately twice the rate of Pleurocapsa throughout their coincidental temperature range. The relative proportions of Calothrix (42%) and Pleurocapsa (27%) were constant in a thick mat (ca. 1 mm) regardless of season; however, a thin mat (ca. 0.5 mm) contained significantly more Pleurocapsa (71%) and less Calothrix (5%). Analysis of 10 μm thick microtome sections showed that Pleurocapsa dominated the innermost region (substrate side) of the nodule mat while Calothrix abundance increased from ca. 3% in this region to 80–96% at the surface of thick mat samples (ca. 0.8–2.3 mm). Our proposed that the grazing pressure exerted by an ostracod population accounts for the continued coexistence of and the observed spatial relationships between these species appears most consistent with the observations. |
