Diatom Communities and Water Quality Assessment in Mountain Rivers of the Upper Segre Basin (La Cerdanya,Oriental Pyrenees) |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">Joan?GomàEmail author Frédéric?Rimet Jaume?Cambra Lucien?Hoffmann Luc?Ector |
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Institution: | (1) Dept. Biologia Vegetal. CERega. CERbiv., University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 645, E-08028, Barcelona, Catalonia;(2) Public Research Centre – Gabriel Lippmann, CREBS 41, rue du Brill, Belvaux, L-4422, Luxembourg |
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Abstract: | Epilithic diatoms of mountain rivers from the upper Segre catchment (Oriental Pyrenees) were studied in 1998, during three
different seasons: March, July and September. Four rivers, the river Segre and its three most important tributaries, Duran,
Molina and Querol, were sampled in upstream and downstream stretches. The diatom communities were comparable in all upstream
stretches of these mountain rivers draining siliceous substrates. Dominant taxa were Achnanthidium subatomus, Diatoma mesodon, Encyonema cf. minutum, E. silesiacum, Fragilaria arcus, F. capucina, Gomphonema calcifugum, G. pumilum, Meridion circulare and Nitzschia pura. Changes in water quality in the downstream stretches lead to the appearance of pollution tolerant taxa, such as Eolimna minima, Gomphoneis minuta, Navicula gregaria, and Nitzschia inconspicua. As a result, the values obtained with the diatom water quality indices (IPS Specific Polluosensitivity Index, CEE and IBD
Biological Diatom Index) decreased. The diatom community composition and the derived water quality values did not change in
the upstream stretches over the year. In contrast, significant changes were observed in the downstream stretches with best
water␣quality in July, during high flows due to melting snow, and worst values in September, during low␣discharge. The diatom
indices, especially the IPS, showed a good performance in these mountain rivers. |
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Keywords: | mountain rivers diatoms water quality Pyrenees seasonal variation |
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