Benthic diatoms

The goal of this chapter is to summarize the composition and community patterns of algae (with special consideration to benthic diatoms), zoobenthos, and fish that occur in Alpine freshwaters. The data presented are a synthesis of published research and represent the current state of knowledge on the different groups. The chapter closes with a general perspective on the biodiversity of alpine freshwaters. 

Robinson CT, Kawecka B (2005) Benthic diatoms of an Alpine streamAake network in Switzerland. Aquat Sci 67 492... 

Stuart, V., Head, E.3.H. and Mann, K.H., in press. Relative contributions of benthic diatoms and Spartina alterniflora (Loisel) detritus to the nutrition of the amphipod Corophium volutator (Pallas) on a Bay of Fundy mud flat. 3. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 

Within interstitial habitats of sandy beaches, particles are trapped in the upper 5-cm surface layer and give rise to a bacterial-protozoan community.5 Below this level, a bacterial flora attached to sand grains removes some of the dissolved organic carbon while supporting a meiofauna community comprised of nematods and copepods. The biotic community of these intertidal sandflats is supplemented by the production of organic matter via benthic diatoms which migrate vertically with the tides. 

Ivorra N. 2000. Metal induced succession in benthic diatom consortia [PhD thesis]. Amsterdam (The Netherlands) University of Amsterdam, 157 p. 

The microphytobenthos consist of an assemblage of benthic diatoms (principally pen-nate in shape) that typically migrate vertically in the sediments over a diurnal period (Serodio et ah, 1998). Enhanced turbidity in shallow regions from resuspension events can limit light penetration thus, the most effective time for primary production occurs in intertidal sand and mud flats during daytime exposure periods (Guarini et ah, 2000,... 

Microphytobenthos microscopic plants (e.g., benthic diatoms) that grow on solid Surfaces in aquatic systems. 

Bianchi, T.S., and Rice, D.L. (1988) Feeding ecology of Leitoscoloplosfragilis. II. Effects of worm density on benthic diatom production. Mar. Biol. 99, 123-131. 

Colijn, E, and Dijekma, K.S. (1981) Species composition of the benthic diatoms and distribution of chlorophyll-a on an intertidal flat in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 4, 9-21. 

Gould, D., and Gallagher, E. (1990) Field measurements of specific growth rate, biomass, and primary production of benthic diatoms of Savin Hill Cove, Boston. Limnol. Oceanogr. 35, 1757-1770. 

Grant, J., Bathmann, U.V., and Mills, E.L. (1986) The interaction between benthic diatom films and sediment transport. Estuar. Coastal Shelf Sci. 23, 225-238. 

Underwood GJC, Boulcott M, Raines CA, Waldron K (2004) Environmental effects on exopolymer production by marine benthic diatoms dynamics, changes in composition, and pathways of production. J Phycol 40 293-304... 

Priisholm K, Moestrup 0, Lundholm N (2002) Taxonomic notes on the marine diatom genus Pseudo-nitzschia in the Andaman Sea near the island of Phuket, Thailand, with a description of Pseudo-nitzschia micropora sp. nov. Diatom Res 17(1) 153—175 Proshkina-Lavrenko AI (1963) Benthic Diatoms of the Black Sea. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Mos-cow-Leningrad, 237 p (in Russian)... 

Glud, R. N., Kuhl, M., Wenzhofer, P., and Rysgaard, S. (2002). Benthic diatoms of a high Arctic ord (Young Sound, NE Greenland) Importance for ecosystem primary production. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 238, 15-29. 

McMinn, A., Runcie, J. W., and Riddle, M. (2004). Effect of seasonal sea ice breakout on the photosynthesis of benthic diatom mats at Casey, Antar. J. Phycol. 40, 62-69. 

Wolfstein, K., de Brouwer,J. P. C., and Stal, L.J. (2002). Biochemical partitioning of photosyntheti-cally fixed carbon by benthic diatoms during short-term incubations at different irradiances. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 245, 21-31. 

Uthicke, S., and Klumpp, D. W. (1997). Ammonium excretion by Holothurians enhances production and turnover of benthic diatom commimities. Proc. (8 J Int. Coral Reef Symp. 1, S73—S76. 

Input of silicon to intertidal sediments comes from two sources, the sedimentation of the tests of pelagic diatoms and in situ uptake by benthic diatoms from the water. Both processes result in the input of particulate biogenic silica to the sediment which corrodes in alkaline sea water (Barker et al., 1994). Silicon accumulates in the interstitial water which results in a flux of silicon out of the sediments. The flux may have a significant seasonal variation due to the growth of benthic diatoms during the spring/summer period and due to bioirrigation (Marinelli, 1994). 

Jonge, V.N. de (1980) Fluctuations in the organic carbon to chlorophyll ratios for estuarine benthic diatom populations. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 2, 345-53. 

G.J.C. Underwood, C. Nilsson, K. Sundback, A. Wulff (1999). Short-term effects of UV-B radiation on chlorophyll fluorescence, biomass, pigments, and carbohydrate fractions in a benthic diatom mat. J. Phycol, 35, 656-666. 

There are no published studies of silica on coral reefs. Silica minerals are not abundant on coral reefs, so the biogeochemistry of silica has been ignored. It is evident, however, from the results of our uptake experiments (we measure silica in all our experiments) that silica concentrations in the water sometimes decreases and sometimes increases. This result is probably related to whether benthic diatoms are occupying the reef surfaces. At Biosphere 2 coral reef mesocosm, silica goes through a distinct seasonal cycle related to blooms of benthic diatoms (Atkinson etal., 2001). Concentrations of silica in pore-water can also change seasonally (Falter, 1998). 

EN 13946 Water quality - Ouidancc standard for the routine sampling and pre-treatment of benthic diatoms from rivers 2003... 

Kelly, M.G. (2001) Role of benthic diatoms in the implementation of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive in the River Wear, NE England, Journal of Applied Phycology, 14, 9-18. 

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