2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
5/21/2018 | 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM | WATERSHED URBANIZATION OVERSHADOWS RIPARIAN CANOPY EFFECTS ON STREAM PERIPHYTON COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION | 310 A
WATERSHED URBANIZATION OVERSHADOWS RIPARIAN CANOPY EFFECTS ON STREAM PERIPHYTON COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
Benthic periphyton structure and function are critical drivers of stream trophic webs and energy flow. We explored the response of benthic algal communities to varying watershed urbanization and riparian canopy cover in 8 streams in Kentucky, USA by assessing (1) in situ gross primary productivity (GPP), (2) periphyton community composition (PCC), and (3) photosynthetic response of periphyton to light level and nutrients. Greater abundances of green algae (relative to diatoms), higher reach-scale GPP, and decreased photosynthetic rates per unit of biomass were all related to elevated watershed urbanization – attributable in part to higher baseline nutrient levels in the urban streams. In vegetation-shaded reaches, the relative abundance of green algae and reach-scale GPP were suppressed for both urban and reference streams. This effect of canopy cover did not translate to differences in periphyton photosynthetic responses, suggesting that riparian canopy impacted stream productivity primarily by influencing periphyton biomass, rather than by altering photosynthetic properties via shifting PCC. Overall, the effects of urbanization on algal communities and productivity were more marked than the effects of riparian canopy, but could be tempered by the presence of riparian cover.
- Urban
- Nutrients
- Light
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Presenters/Authors
Ishi Buffam
(), University of Cincinnati, ishi.buffam@uc.edu;
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Jeremy Alberts
(), Environmental Solutions and Innovations, Inc., JAlberts@Envsi.com;
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Jake J. Beaulieu
(), United States Environmental Protection Agency, beaulieu.jake@epa.gov;
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Miriam Steinitz-Kannan
(), Northern Kentucky University, kannan@nku.edu;
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