Difference in the Abundance of Periphytic Algae in Soft Sediments and Hard Substrates of Cold Water Streams
Abstract
Benthic algae, also known as periphyton, are a diverse
organism that inhabits various environments. They play an
important role in the aquatic environment, as they are
important food source for invertebrates and fish. Periphyton
also regulates the exchange of nutrients. These are the
reasons for many researchers to examine the periphyton
richness and abundance. These algae that inhabit soft
sediments such as sand, mud, and silt are called epipelic
algae and ones that inhabit hard substrates are called epilithic
algae. Yet research concerning this topic has only focused on,
epilithic algae, the periphyton found on hard substrates.
Our first objective was to compare the abundance of epilithic
algae and the epipelic algae in cold water streams.
Our second objective was to attempt to find variables that are
accountable for the larger population of epipelic algae. We
looked at physical factors such as water depth and canopy
coverage of the epipelon’s sample location.