EFFECTS OF SUBSTRATE RELIEF ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF PERIPHYTON IN LABORATORY STREAMS. II. INTERACTIONS WITH IRRADIANCE1

Abstract

ABSTRACTLaboratory streams were used in a 42‐day experiment designed to investigate how the spatial and temporal distribution of lotic periphyton created by current flow over cobble‐size substrates is a affected by irradiance. The streams contained 22.5 × 22.5 × 4 cm substrate blocks and were exposed to either 385, 90 or 20 μE·m−2·s−1. We monitored periphyton succession in fast current regimes on top of blocks and in slower current regimes on surfaces recessed between blocks.The absolute differences in AFDW algal biomass between top and recessed substrates were significantly affected by irradiance and time. At the end of the experiment, biomass in streams exposed to 385 μE·m−2·s−1. was approximately 2 and 8 times greater than in streams exposed to 90 and 20 μE·m−2·s−1, respectively. Differences in biomass were greater between irradiance levels than between top and recessed substrates within an irradiance level. Irradiance also had a greater effect than current regime on the taxonomic composition of assemblages. Oscillatoria agardhii Gomont and Navicula minima Grun. characterized assemblages at 20 μE·m−2·s−1, whereas Fragilaria vaucheriae (Kütz.), Nitzschia oregona Sov., Navicula arvensis Hust. and Stigeoclonium tenue (Ag.) Kütz. were more abundant at the two higher irradiances. Detrended correspondence analysis indicated that the rate of succession was relatively high for assemblages at high irradiance and in the slow current regimes between blocks. The results suggested that in natural streams, periphyton patches produced by large differences in irradiance should have a greater effect on periphyton heterogeneity than substrate‐induced patches. Moreover, the heterogeneity of algal patches produced by hydrologic differences over a substrate is constrained by irradiance level.