Disturbance frequency influences patch dynamics in stream benthic algal communities

Oecologia
Mark E LedgerAlexander M Milner

Abstract

Disturbance is integral to the organisation of riverine ecosystems. Fluctuating low flows caused by supra-seasonal drought and water management periodically dewater habitat patches, potentially creating heterogeneity in the taxonomic composition and successional dynamics of benthic communities. The frequency of disturbance induced by low flows is contingent upon the topography of the river bed and thus varies among patches. We investigated whether the frequency of patch dewatering influenced the structure and temporal dynamics of benthic algal communities attached to the upper surfaces of stones in stream mesocosms (4 m2). In a 693-day disturbance experiment, we applied short dewatering disturbances (6 days) at high (33-day cycles) and low frequencies (99-day cycles) and compared algal assemblages with undisturbed controls at 21 endpoints. In the absence of disturbance, epilithic space was dominated by the green encrusting alga Gongrosira incrustans. However, drying disturbances consistently reduced the dominance of the green alga, and crust abundance decreased with increasing disturbance frequency, thereby opening space for a diversity of mat-forming diatoms. The response of mat diatoms to disturbance varied markedly during th...Continue Reading

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Citations

Oct 5, 2010·Environmental Monitoring and Assessment·Daniel C Dauwalter, Frank J Rahel
Jun 2, 2010·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Guy WoodwardLee E Brown
Sep 26, 2012·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Guy WoodwardMark E Ledger
Feb 9, 2012·Aquatic Toxicology·L ProiaH Guasch
Jan 6, 2009·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Thomas C IngsGuy Woodward
Mar 18, 2016·Journal of Phycology·Elisabet TornésSergi Sabater
Apr 27, 2016·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Guy WoodwardSamraat Pawar
Aug 7, 2013·Brazilian Journal of Biology = Revista Brasleira De Biologia·J E ZanonL Rodrigues
Jan 22, 2015·Water Science and Technology : a Journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research·Troy A Keller, Emily M Husted
Apr 10, 2019·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Eric HarveyFlorian Altermatt
Nov 9, 2017·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Robert J RollsKeith B Gido
Jul 28, 2016·Ecology·Sarah L Amundrud, Diane S Srivastava
Mar 20, 2021·The Science of the Total Environment·Elisabet TornésSergi Sabater

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