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Marine and Freshwater Research Marine and Freshwater Research Society
Advances in the aquatic sciences
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Epiphytic diatoms and water quality in shallow lakes: the neutral substrate hypothesis revisited

Cristina Cejudo-Figueiras A C , Irene Álvarez-Blanco A , Eloy Bécares B and Saúl Blanco B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Institute of the Environment, La Serna 58, E-24007 León, Spain.

B Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management, University of León, E-24071 León, Spain.

C Corresponding author. Email: ccejf@unileon.es

Marine and Freshwater Research 61(12) 1457-1467 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF10018
Submitted: 26 January 2010  Accepted: 19 September 2010   Published: 13 December 2010

Abstract

For bioassessment of freshwaters, diatom indices have been mainly used in streams although their applicability in shallow lakes has been demonstrated in several studies. However, the influence of sampling substrata on periphytic diatom communities and on the ecological quality inferred from them has been paid little attention. In this paper, we test the ‘neutral substrate hypothesis’, which predicts no relevant influence of host plant type on their epiphytic community. Nineteen shallow permanent lakes from north-west Spain were studied and classified into three trophic levels. Epiphytic diatom communities growing on three different macrophytes for each trophic level were sampled and analysed. We assess: (1) which of the most common diatom indices provides a reliable water quality assessment, (2) how different plant substrata influence the diatom communities growing on them and (3) how these differences affect water quality assessment. Similarity tests showed significant differences in the composition of diatom assemblages among nutrient concentrations and host macrophytes. In contrast, ANOVA results for selected diatom-based metrics showed significant differences among trophic levels but not between different plant substrata. This supports the use of epiphytic diatoms as biological indicators for shallow lakes irrespective of the dominant macrophyte.

Additional keywords: bioassessment, biotic index, diatom assemblage, eutrophication, macrophytes, monitoring, shallow lake, Water Framework Directive.


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