The Relationship to the Temperature to Phycoperiphytic Standing Crop and Diversity
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Authors
VandenBosch, Kathryn A.
Issue Date
1977
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Physiochemical data indicate that Castor Creek receives
seepage in the region of its headwaters from an adjacent
thermal canal. This study was undertaken to determine the
impact of this thermal seepage. on the phycoperhhytic
community in the creek. The algae were sampled by placing
glass slides in the creek as a. artificial substrate for
growth for four weeks during winter. Slides were analyzed
for concentration of chlorophylls and carotenoids and for
ash weight as estimates of standing crop. The generic
composition of the algae on the slides was determined.
Community diversity was measured by the Shannon-Weaver
diversity index and the Renee's series method. Results
from Castor Creek were contrasted with data obtained from
another thermal system and two natural systems. Castor
Creek showed a shift in the algal flora represented on the
slides from a blue-green and green filamentous community at
the headwaters to a diatom dominated community downstream.
Peaks in the two estimates of standing crop coincided with
the peak for percentage of filamentous algae and the peak
for percentage of diatoms. Diversity and evenness remained
relatively constant throughout Castor Creek with the exception
of a decline· in the parameters at the last site. This
indicates that the elevated water temperatures in Castor
Creek may, not serve as a thermal stress since diversity and
evenness are not depressed in the upper portion of the creek.
Results Show that temperature was highly correlated with
alkelinity, hardness and dissolved oxygen and thus,
differences in phycoperiphytic diversity. and· standing crop
cannot be ascribed to temperature alone in this study.
Description
vii, 25 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo College
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.