Role of residual biofilm in the recolonization of rocky intermittent streams by benthic algae

Abstract

Human use of stream flow for water supply may increase the duration and/or frequency of dry periods in intermittent streams, but there is little information on the effect of this change on in-stream flora or fauna. To predict the effects of dry periods on stream biota, it is necessary to understand the relative roles of various sources of recolonization. A transplant experiment was used to test the hypothesis that the dry residual algal biofilm on stones in intermittent streams is an important source of algal growth when the streams are re-wetted. Two sites were chosen, one on each of two intermittent streams in south-eastern Australia. Rocks at the sites differed in the amount of naturally occurring residual biofilm on them. Forty rocks were transplanted between the sites and counts of algal densities were made from samples taken one and five weeks after flow recommenced. At one of the sites, where the biofilm was dominated by Cyanobacteria, dry residual biofilm strongly influenced the developing algal community at both one and five weeks after flow recommenced. At the other site the influence of dry biofilm was limited after five weeks, implying that other sources of algal recolonization were influential there.