Diatom Flora of the Grand River,Ontario, Canada

Summary This paper describes the diatom flora of the Grand River, Ontario, Canada. Samples were collected systematically from the river over a period of several years at tweleve stations. The diatom flora of the river is typical of temperate alkaline rivers. The flora is rich in species and variaties, and is similar to that from many parts from North Eastern United States. A total of 273 taxa of diatoms were identified. There is a tendency for the number of species per sample to increase downstream. The flora of the estuary in characteristic with a great variety of taxa occuring in small numbers. Most of the species are alkaliphilous and indifferent in the halolian spectra. Part of Ph. D. thesis (1970) of senior author     

Aquatic pollution assessment based on attached diatom communities in the Pinang River Basin,Malaysia

The diatom communities collected from artificial substrates (glass slides) at 12 sampling sites along Pinang River Basin were analysed. Species composition was highly variable among sampling sites, and the highest diversity value (mean H = 3.56 bit/individual) and species richness (mean S = 17.32) was recorded at a polluted station in an estuary, which received salt-water intrusion during high tide. The downstream sampling stations were heavily organically polluted with Saprobic Index values ranging between 2.81 and 3.10, while upstream stations were relatively clean with Saprobic Index values recorded between 1.40 and 1.96. The diatom community structure and the specific sensitivity of certain diatom species can be related to the degree of water quality in Pinang River Basin. The abundance of certain diatom species could be used as biological indicators to measure impacts of river pollution.     

The Role of Substrate Type on Benthic Diatom Assemblages in the Daly and Roper Rivers of the Australian Wet/Dry Tropics

The selection of one or more river substrata for the collection of benthic diatoms is fundamental to any monitoring or research programme because it can potentially bias the diatom data set. In the wet/dry tropics of Australia, where the use of benthic diatoms for river health assessment is in its infancy, the comparability of diatom assemblages on river substrata has been assessed. Benthic diatoms were sampled from seven river sites, with a range of ionic chemistries (conductivities 27–6500 μS cm⁻¹) but low nutrient concentrations. At each site, triplicate samples were collected from 3 to 6 substrata. The diatom assemblages sampled were: epilithon (assemblages on rock), epiphytes on macroalgae and macrophytes, epidendron (assemblages on wood), epipsammon (assemblages on sand), epipelon (assemblages on mud) and bacterial slime. The variability between substrate assemblages, at each site, were assessed according to the following: (1) a multivariate analysis of diatom assemblages, (2) ANOVA tests of species richness, (3) ANOVA tests of the relative abundance of common species (defined by an abundance of at least 10% in any one sample), and (4) a comparison of the number of species unique to a substrate. A total of 198 taxa were identified, with some taxa common to temperate Australia. Common species were found on all substrata, with sometimes statistically significantly different relative abundances. Taxa unique to a substrate had low relative abundances (0.1–2%), were most often found on only one replicate, and are unlikely to be substrate specific because many are known to occur on other substrata. The assemblages on hard substrata, epilithon and epidendron, were found to be most similar. Diatom assemblages on macroalgal and macrophyte substrata, compared to other substrata, were highly variable. This is attributed to the loss of diatoms from grazing and sloughing, followed by recolonisation of newly exposed substrate. Other assemblages, notably epipsammon, were similar to epilithon and epidendron but sometimes differed in their relative abundance of common species. The principal finding of the study was the similarity of the epilithon and epidendron, which are considered to be indistinguishable. Rock and wood hard substrata can be substituted for one another during field surveys, thereby increasing the number of potential sample sites available for monitoring activities that standardise to a hard substrate.     

Comparison of diatom community structure from epilithon and fish guts: implications for inferring past changes in water quality

The sampling skills of three common European fish species (Barbus barbus, Chondrostoma nasus and Squalius cephalus) were tested to assess their potential as biomonitors of past changes in river water quality through the analysis of diatoms in fish guts. The study was performed on three rivers with different chemical and physical conditions. Comparison of similarity indices revealed low diatom assemblage resemblance between epilithic samples and samples collected from fish guts at the same locality. In contrast, a mixed-effect linear model identified significant differences between locations through comparison of diatom-based water quality indices. Among fish species, diatom indices calculated from gut samples of B. barbus and C. nasus were in most cases not significantly different from those from epilithic samples while those from S. cephalus were often significantly different. The results of the study demonstrate that diatom analysis of fish guts provides a clear distinction between eutrophic and hypereutrophic rivers. Finer nutrient variations within hypereutrophic conditions were also found to be significant for some diatom indices. In this context, choice of appropriate diatom water quality index proved to be crucial in maximizing the sensitivity of the method.     

Validation of ecological status concepts in UK rivers using historic diatom samples

We assessed the feasibility of using herbarium specimens to validate reference conditions in the UK by comparing diatom community composition of river sites with both recent and historic diatom samples. The question of substrate specificity was addressed by comparing epilithon (stone-derived) and epiphyton (plant-derived) samples from a number of rivers. No significant differences were found between the Trophic Diatom Index (TDI), species richness, species diversity, and percentage of motile valves between paired diatom samples (epilithic and epiphytic) from contemporary samples. Significant differences were recorded between a number of indices derived from analysis of the historic diatom samples on plant material sampled pre-1930 compared with diatoms from stones collected post-1990 from the same river location. The TDI, mean species richness, and species diversity and percentage of motile valves and nutrient tolerant valves were all significantly greater in the contemporary samples (p ≤ 0.05). The percentage of nutrient sensitive valves was significantly lower in the contemporary samples (p ≤ 0.05).The relative abundance of Achnanthidium minutissimum and Cocconeis placentula var. lineata was significantly greater on the herbarium material compared to matched contemporary samples. Calculated values for the TDI (43 ± 3) expected at reference conditions were similar to the observed TDI values derived from herbarium material (44 ± 12) showing no significant deviation in ecological status.     

珠江三角洲中山地区ZK201-2钻孔硅藻组合及古环境意义

经对珠江三角洲中部中山地区ZK201-2钻孔86个岩芯样品进行硅藻分析,鉴定出45属168种(包括未定种和变种),分属海水种、半咸水种和淡水种3种生态类型,据其组合状况和部分典型属种的现代生态环境指示意义,结合钻孔地层沉积特征和AMS14 C测年结果,在该孔自下而上确定了6个组合带。组合1 Ethmodiscus rex-Cyclotella striata-Paralia sulcata和组合2 Cyclotella striata-Paralia sulcata-Coscinodiscus divisus中硅藻均发生明显溶蚀现象,样品中个体数量(丰度)变化较大,两组合分别对应晚更新世河口湾相及末次盛冰期花斑粘土风化沉积层;组合3 Gomphonema kaznakowii-Cymbella affinis-Eunotia clevei,组合4 Paralia sulcata-Coscinodiscus divisus-Coscinodiscus excentricus,组合5 Cyclotella striata-Paralia sulcata-Nitzschia cocconeiformis和组合6 Cyclotella striata-Coscinodiscus blandus-Coscinodiscus divisus,分别对应全新世河漫滩-滨海河湾、潮滩相、河口湾相、河口坝-湿地沉积。该钻孔硅藻分析结果表明研究区晚更新世晚期以来经历了海洋氧同位素MIS3和MIS1期两次较大的海侵海退旋回。     

Effect of urban and industrial wastes on species diversity of the diatom community in a tropical river,Malaysia

Monthly species diversity and other components of diversity of diatom samples collected over a period of one year at eight stations in the Linggi River Basin, Malaysia were analysed. Species diversity ranged between 0.52–3.62 bits individua^–1. Among the four stations located in the Linggi River (sensu stricto), highest diversity values were recorded at a station polluted by rubber effluent, followed by the stations unpolluted from point sources. Lowest diversity was recorded at a station polluted with urban sewage. At Kundor River, highest diversity was recorded at stations located downstream of rubber and palm oil waste discharges. On the whole, diversity values at unpolluted stations were always lower than at mildly polluted stations. Severe organic loadings caused low diversity by reducing the number of species (species richness) but did not increase the evenness (equitability) as expected when compared with unpolluted or mildly polluted stations. The changes in species diversity can be related to changes in diatom community structure and thereby changes in water quality, but cannot be used as an index of water quality.     

Diatom communities in soils influenced by the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans)

Soil diatom communities within two breeding colonies of the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) on Île de la Possession (Crozet Archipelago) were investigated. Samples were collected around occupied and abandoned nests and compared with control samples taken from soils lacking any animal influence. A total of 163 diatom taxa has been identified. Differences in the diatom flora were recorded between the two colonies, but the results show that it is almost impossible to identify a single diatom community typical for albatross-influenced areas. Diatom species composition varied markedly between control samples, occupied and abandoned nests. A turnover in the diatom community (shift from eutraphentic to oligotraphentic taxa) was observed when moving away from both occupied and abandoned nests, although no significant differences in diversity have been found. In summary, soil diatom species composition seems to indicate the impact of animal perturbations. However, it is too early to draw sound conclusions and further studies regarding the topic should be performed to confirm the results of the present study.     

Diatom flora of an Australian river system:spatial patterns and environmental relationships

SUMMARY. 1. Qualitative diatom samples from various microhabitatswere collected at fifty-three sites on the La Trobe River. Victoria, and itstributaries in late summer and early autumn. Measurements of severalphysico-chemical variables of likely significance to diatom distributionwere also made.
2. Principal components analysis of the physico-chemical data showedthat the dominant environmental pattern in the river system was agradient from cool, dilute upland streams to warmer, more turbid andenriched lowland waters.
3. A total of 267 diatom species was recorded; most were cosmopolitan and Navicula and Nitzschia were the dominant genera. Clusteranalysis allowed the sampling sites to be divided into six groups on the basis of their floras. These groupings corresponded closely to flow. landuse and wastewater discharge patterns and there were clearphysico-chemical differences between the groups. Multiple discriminant analysisfound thataltitude. temperature. biochemical oxygen demand. turbidity, non-filterable residue, pH. major ions, phosphorus and nitrogenwere important factors in distinguishing between site groups.
4. Diatom species richness was lowest in relatively undisturbed, forested upland streams, probably as a result of nutrient limitation. Forthe catchment as a whole significantcorrelations were establishedbetween species richness and altitude, temperature, biochemical oxygendemand, turbidity. non-filterable residue, conductivity, calcium, alkalinity, organic nitrogen and phosphorus.     

171 Light-Induced Growth of Winter Phytoplankton Collected from the Benthic Boundary Layer in Coastal Oregon Waters

The objective of this study was to examine the influences of the adjacent river and surrounding landuse on wetland diatom distributional patterns. Diatoms were identified in surface sediment samples from 35 riverine-impounded wetlands within the Willamette Valley, OR. A total of 221 species were identified and no single species dominated the assemblage at all sites. Diatom richness was high throughout the area (median 71, range 66–75). The Araphidineae:Centrales index, a measure of periphytic to planktonic species ratio, was lowest at sites within the river's annual floodplain zone. A low A:C index is to be expected at wetlands that receive inputs of river planktonic species through regular flooding by adjacent large rivers. Surrounding landuse can confound the influence of riverine flooding on wetland diatom assemblages by influencing water quality. Relative abundance of the two most common species, Aulacoseira crenulata and Fragilaria capusina related negatively to % agricultural landuse surrounding the wetland. These results indicate that riverine wetland diatom assemblages may be influenced by flooding from adjacent rivers and surrounding landuse and therefore wetland sediment diatoms might serve as useful indicators of both historical environmental changes in nearby large rivers and surrounding watersheds.     

Effects of freshwater input on nutrient loading, phytoplankton biomass, and cyanotoxin production in an oligohaline estuarine lake

Pulsed river water events can increase nutrient levels potentially translating into enhanced primary production, phytoplankton community shifts, and bloom formation. The Bonnet Carré Spillway is a managed river diversion which can be used to redirect a significant amount of Mississippi River water into Lake Pontchartrain, reducing the risks of flood in the downstream communities during runoff seasons. We investigated nutrient enrichment and consequent changes in phytoplankton biomass, including toxic species in Lake Pontchartrain during and after a 1-month Bonne Carré Spillway opening in 2008. Water samples were collected along a 30 km transect. A freshwater plume was found to have formed by the strong river input that had limited mixing with the lake during the opening. The plume and lake water gradually mixed together after the Spillway was closed, indicated by the reduction of the horizontal salinity gradient. The river pulse increased the lake nitrate and dissolved reactive phosphorus concentrations to more than five times the lake background in the plume stations. Nutrient concentrations decreased rapidly after the Spillway closure as the plume dissipated. Diatoms and chlorophytes dominated the system during the opening. After the Spillway closure, there was a shift over time from diatom dominance to toxic cyanobacteria dominance that corresponded to more stable, warmer, and nutrient-limited water conditions. Associated toxins were present and varied over time and space. Further research on the phytoplankton assemblages on the lake is needed in subsequent, non-Spillway opening years to evaluate the impact of river water pulses on the development of these toxic cyanobacterial blooms.     

Epilithic and epipelic diatoms in the Sandusky River,with emphasis on species diversity and water pollution

Benthic diatom communities were collected seasonally from silty and rocky substrates to survey the water quality of the Sandusky River. Even though species composition was highly variable along the river, recurrent changes in relative abundance of specific diatom taxa and changes in overall community composition delineated areas where discharge of treated sewage affected water quality of the river. Changes in species diversity (Shannon formula), not decreases in diversity, marked the site where greatest pollution had occurred. Problems with using species diversity indices to indicate pollution tend to be related to predicting decreases in diversity in response to decreases in water quality. Evidence in the Sandusky River and the theories of diatom community dynamics suggest that species diversity can be greater in polluted areas than less polluted areas.     

170 Wetland Diatom Assemblages as Indicators of Flooding Influence and Surrounding Landuse in the Willamette Valley,OR

The objective of this study was to examine the influences of the adjacent river and surrounding landuse on wetland diatom distributional patterns. Diatoms were identified in surface sediment samples from 35 riverine‐impounded wetlands within the Willamette Valley, OR. A total of 221 species were identified and no single species dominated the assemblage at all sites. Diatom richness was high throughout the area (median 71, range 66–75). The Araphidineae:Centrales index, a measure of periphytic to planktonic species ratio, was lowest at sites within the river's annual floodplain zone. A low A:C index is to be expected at wetlands that receive inputs of river planktonic species through regular flooding by adjacent large rivers. Surrounding landuse can confound the influence of riverine flooding on wetland diatom assemblages by influencing water quality. Relative abundance of the two most common species, Aulacoseira crenulata and Fragilaria capusina related negatively to % agricultural landuse surrounding the wetland. These results indicate that riverine wetland diatom assemblages may be influenced by flooding from adjacent rivers and surrounding landuse and therefore wetland sediment diatoms might serve as useful indicators of both historical environmental changes in nearby large rivers and surrounding watersheds.     

Epilithic diatom community response to years of P04 fertilization: Kuparuk River,Alaska (68 N Lat.)

An arctic river was fertilized continuously through the ice-free season with phosphoric acid beginning in 1983. The epilithic diatom community increased in biomass in the first two years in response to the added limiting nutrient (Peterson et al., 1983). The diatom community switched from one dominated by Hannea arcus to one dominated by species of Achnanthes and Cymbella. The immediate responses to the P-addition were decreases in both the Shannon diversity and evenness indices. By the second year, the community diversity increased downriver reaching maximal species richness (110–127 spp). In 1985–1987, the epilithic algal biomass decreased an order of magnitude with both whole-river PO₄ (1985, 1987) and PO₄ + NH₄ addition (1986). In the 5th summer of fertilization, the reduction in biomass was clearly caused by a numerical increase of grazing, refugia-building chironomids (Orthocladiinae, primarily) (Gibeau, 1991; Gibeau, Miller, Hershey, in prep.). We assume the algal biomass reduction in the 3rd and 4th years was similarly caused by grazers with a two year time lag in the numerical response of these monovoltine species. The evenness of the community increased in 1986 as if it might have been grazed; however the number of immigrants was reduced. The community became dominated by Eunotia, Cymbella and Achnanthes, species either fast growing or more prostrate, as the erect species of Hannea Diatoma, and Fragillaria declined. A detrended correspondence analysis of the temporal and spatial diatom samples in species space (186 spp.) showed that the largest variation in the community was between years and less variation was associated with river fertilization. Samples from bioassay tubes run by Peterson et al. (1983) in the Kuparuk River showed P and N + P limitation as found in the river in 1983–84. Like the river samples, the largest change in the diatom community occurred between 15 and 25 day samples, more than that induced by fertilization. Diatoms sampled from all treatments taken at day 25 were more similar to one another than those sampled at day 15. Diatoms colonizing glass slides used in the bioassay tubes were dominated by Achnanthes linearis and Cymbella minuta. Of the 84 species found in bioassays, 26 species were present in all river samples for 4 years. Differences in the communities discriminated by multivariate methods were cause by changes in rare species and abundance patterns of common species.     

Metabarcoding vs. morphological identification to assess diatom diversity in environmental studies

Diatoms are frequently used for water quality assessments; however, identification to species level is difficult, time‐consuming and needs in‐depth knowledge of the organisms under investigation, as nonhomoplastic species‐specific morphological characters are scarce. We here investigate how identification methods based on DNA (metabarcoding using NGS platforms) perform in comparison to morphological diatom identification and propose a workflow to optimize diatom fresh water quality assessments. Diatom diversity at seven different sites along the course of the river system Odra and Lusatian Neisse from the source to the mouth is analysed with DNA and morphological methods, which are compared. The NGS technology almost always leads to a higher number of identified taxa (270 via NGS vs. 103 by light microscopy LM), whose presence could subsequently be verified by LM. The sequence‐based approach allows for a much more graduated insight into the taxonomic diversity of the environmental samples. Taxa retrieval varies considerably throughout the river system, depending on species occurrences and the taxonomic depth of the reference databases. Mostly rare taxa from oligotrophic parts of the river systems are less well represented in the reference database used. A workflow for DNA‐based NGS diatom identification is presented. 28 000 diatom sequences were evaluated. Our findings provide evidence that metabarcoding of diatoms via NGS sequencing of the V4 region (18S) has a great potential for water quality assessments and could complement and maybe even improve the identification via light microscopy.     

Characterization of the diatom flora in the Lower Mountain Fork (Oklahoma,USA), a novel regulated river with a disjunct population of the diatom Didymosphenia geminata (Bacillariophyta)

Regulated rivers are novel ecosystems with altered temperature and flow regimes that can be used to test distribution patterns of microscopic organisms, such as diatoms. Our objective was to describe the spatial and seasonal patterns of diatoms in a cold-water, oligotrophic river within a region of warm-water, mesotrophic rivers. The Lower Mountain Fork, in south-east Oklahoma (USA), is maintained as a year-around, stocked fishery by the release of cold, hypolimnetic water from Broken Bow Lake and is the southern-most known site of Didymosphenia geminata in North America. Epilithic diatoms were sampled six times at nine sites over a distance of 15.5 km and, within this area, 27 times at the site of the main Didymosphenia bloom. Percentage composition data were analysed for assemblage composition using multivariate analysis, nutrient specificity using a diatom-based metric, and species associations using similarity profiles. Eighty-eight taxa were found, of which 10 were unidentifiable and included local undescribed species and species clusters. Three species [Gomphonema (parvulum morph), Achnanthidium rivulare and Achnanthidium minutissimum] comprised over 60% of the diatom abundance at all sites, and downstream and seasonal patterns were evident for both these and less abundant taxa. Notably, diatom assemblages in the three sites below the dam were similar to that at the lowermost site, below a much smaller dam. The oligotraphentic diatom assemblage reflected the water chemistry of the river. The Didymosphenia bloom had been scoured by a large spate prior to the study and the species was present at two of the nine sites in low numbers but failed to bloom during the study, possibly because of a trend towards increasing phosphorus concentrations in the reservoir (Didymosphenia blooms under low P concentrations). No other species shared Didymosphenia’s distribution pattern over the study reach, highlighting the novelty of Didymosphenia’s presence in the river.     

SYSTEMATICS OF PRASIOLA AND PHYLOGENETIC POSITIONING OF THE PRASIOLALES (CHLOROPHYTA)

Sellman, S. M., Johansen, J. R. & Coburn, M. M. Department of Biology, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH 44118 USA The diatom composition of natural substrates at a single site were compared with that of the gut contents of three species of fish: stoneroller minnows, bluntnose minnows, and common shiners. Seven samples of each type were collected on a single day from a single pool in a headwater stream. Cluster analysis showed that diatom species composition clustered by fish species, with common shiners being a totally exclusive cluster, while natural substrates were scattered within the stoneroller and bluntnose clusters. Both richness and Shannon diversity were higher in fish gut samples than in the samples collected by humans, with stonerollers having the greatest diversity. When water quality indices calculated from the diatom floras recovered in these samples were compared, it was surprising to see that these indices consistently were better in fish gut samples than in samples collected by researchers. Common shiners particularly differed, a result possibly due to the fact that they apparently fed off of Cladophora and the highly oxygenated rock wall where the stream cascaded into the pool. In no case was the difference between stonerollers and natural substrates significantly different. Furthermore, samples from natural substrates had an internal similarity not significantly different from their similarity to samples in stoneroller and bluntnose guts. Our data thus consistently indicate that stoneroller minnows are excellent samplers that efficiently collect diverse, representative diatom samples.     

Zooplankton in the Floodplains of a Tributary to the Paraná River in Mato Grosso Do Sul,Brazil

Zooplankton samples were taken monthly at five sites March 1992 through February 1993 of the Guaraná lake and Baía river in the Paran floodplain, Brazil. A total of 38 cladoceran and 12 copepod species was identified. Cladocerans were mainly collected amongst macrophytes in the lake. The most commonly encountered species were Bosminopsis deitersi, Moina minuta, Ceriodaphnia cornuta, Ilyocryptus spinifer, Macrothrix spinosa, and Phryxura dadayi. The copepods were especially collected in the river with Thermocyclops minutus and Mesocyclops meridianus being abundant. The greatest number of microcrustacean species was detected during the high water period. Possible ecological conditions for the recorded distribution and abundance are discussed and compared with data from other study sites in the Neotropics.     

Contemporary distributions of saltmarsh diatoms in the Seymour–Belize Inlet Complex, British Columbia, Canada: Implications for studies of sea-level change

Surface diatom samples were collected from two saltmarshes in the Seymour–Belize Inlet Complex on the mainland coast of British Columbia to examine the controls on diatom distribution and provide training sets for regional studies of sea-level change. Cluster analysis and detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) were used to examine diatom distributions within and between the two marshes whilst canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and partial canonical correspondence analysis (pCCA) were used to analyse species–environment relationships. The diatom assemblages were shown to be quite different between the two marshes, Waump and Wawwat'l. Q-mode cluster analysis separated the diatom assemblages from Waump into three zones corresponding to recognized vegetation zones; diatom zone C corresponds to the high marsh and is dominated by Pinnularia obscura, Caloneis bacillum and Diploneis ovalis, zone B spans the high- and mid marsh and is characterised by Fragilaria exigua, Nitzchia palea and D. ovalis, whilst zone A from the low marsh/tidal flat includes high frequencies of Diploneis smithii, Ctenophora pulchella and F. exigua. Three different diatom zones were recognised at Wawwat'l; two upper zones, E and F, corresponding to the mid-marsh which are dominated by mixed abundances of N. palea and Fragilaria construens var. venter, Navicula peregrina and Navicula clementis and zone D from the low marsh/tidal flat with increased frequencies of F. exigua and Achnanthes delicatula. At Waump, the major controls on diatom distribution were found to be elevation and to a lesser extent pH, whilst at Wawwat'l, the primary controls were grain size/organic content, conductivity and elevation. The results confirm that saltmarsh diatoms may have potential for future sea-level studies in this region. However, caution must be exercised as the significant difference in the diatom assemblages between the two marshes suggests that the diatoms are responding to a number of environmental variables on a local scale. Some of this variation may reflect highly seasonal changes in sedimentation and salinity resulting from the proximity of the marshes to adjacent streams which are subject to spring freshet. Local differences in elevation between the collected samples may also account for some of the assemblage variability. The results emphasize the great diversity and high sensitivity of intertidal diatom species to environmental controls.