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- Title
Benthic algal biomass — measurement and errors.
- Authors
Baulch, Helen M.; Turner, Michael A.; Findlay, David L.; Vinebrooke, Rolf D.; Donahue, William F.
- Abstract
While benthic algal biomass is one of the most commonly measured variables within littoral communities, it is also one of the most poorly characterized. The use of chlorophyll a as an estimate of biomass, while easy and inexpensive, can be affected by changes in environmental conditions and algal community composition. Biovolume-based measurements often have high variability and are affected by changes in cell volume due to preservation. Using 12 years of data from the Experimental Lakes Area (northwestern Ontario, Canada) as well as short-term surveys and experimental studies from the Experimental Lakes Area and the Canadian Rocky Mountains, we demonstrate that biovolume and chlorophyll a are often decoupled in the littoral zone of temperate oligotrophic lakes. We recommend that researchers revisit the limitations of both metrics and specifically caution against the use of chlorophyll a as a biomass indicator when light, temperature, or species composition vary significantly.
- Subjects
ONTARIO; ALGAL communities; WATER temperature &; the environment; ECOLOGICAL risk assessment; BIOMASS; CLIMATE change; CHLOROPHYLL; CELL preservation; LITTORAL zone
- Publication
Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences, 2009, Vol 66, Issue 11, p1989
- ISSN
0706-652X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1139/F09-122