At the extreme of physical gradients: phytoplankton in highly flushed, large rivers

Abstract

Phytoplankton and associated environmental factors were collected fortnightly during a 1-year cycle in the upper and lower reaches of the River Adige (northeastern Italy). The river has a typical Alpine flow, with the period of high flow and flooding occurring in the spring and summer months. Phytoplankton biomass was constrained by physical variables, mainly water discharge and associated variables directly linked to water fluxes. These factors acted negatively and synchronously by diluting phytoplankton cells and worsening the light regime. Nutrient concentrations did not appear to limit phytoplankton growth. Compared to many other central European rivers, the very low maximum algal biomasses supported by River Adige (Chl a < 7 μg l−1) are due to the Alpine flow regime, which is characterised by higher flow during the warmer months, when conditions for algal development are more favourable. Hydrology and flow regime, along with the channelisation of the river, caused development of a simplified phytoplankton community, which was almost exclusively composed of diatoms. Moreover, these factors contributed significantly to the lack of ordered and cyclic temporal patterns in phytoplankton dynamics. In fact, the gradient of species composition showed a strong association with hydrological factors. If the scenarios predicting increase of atmospheric temperatures and decrease of atmospheric precipitations and water availability in the regions south of the Alps are realistic, algal biomasses may rise and be associated with an increase of groups other than diatoms.