A continuous-flow system for measuring in vitro oxygen and nitrogen metabolism in separated stream communities

SUMMARY. 1. This paper describes a continuous-flow system that we have used extensively for measurement of oxygen exchange and nitrogen transformations in different communities of lowland streams, i.e. the water, the sediment, and the macrophyte—biofilm community. The system, which is set up on the stream bank, consists of several macrophyte and sediment chambers equipped with a double-flow system that ensures an internal water velocity close to that in the stream and which, by continuously renewing the water, mimics diel fluctuation in stream temperature and water chemistry. Water temperature and dissolved oxygen are measured continuously and the data stored on magnetic tape. Water samples are collected in a refrigerator and analysed using standard chemical procedures.
2. The application of the system is illustrated using results obtained during a 2-day summer experiment in a shallow macrophyte—rich stream. The biological processes in the stream were mainly associated with the macrophyte—biofilm community and the sediment, those in the water being negligible. Oxygen release was confined to the macrophyte—biofilm community, the sediment consuming oxygen both by day and by night. Whole-system gross production and dark respiration occurred at similar rates (6–7g O₂ m⁻² day⁻¹), net balance being about zero. Inorganic nitrogen was consumed both by the sediment and to a greater extent by the macrophytes, the diel average consumption being 1g N m⁻² day⁻¹.
3. The sum of the activity in the macrophyte and sediment chambers corresponded to the overall activity of the stream section as determined by upstream/downstream mass balance. This indicates that the results obtained with the continuous-flow chambers realistically describe the oxygen and the nitrogen metabolism of the stream.