Effects of UV Radiation on Wetland Periphyton: Algae, Bacteria, and Extracellular Polysaccharides
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2009
Department
Biological Sciences
School
Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences
Abstract
To study the effects of UV radiation on wetland periphyton, glass substrata were placed under acrylic mesocosms in a small freshwater marsh in Michigan, USA. One treatment excluded light in the UV range (a, algal community composition, ash-free dry mass, bacterial density and viability, and total extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) content were measured. Algal biomass, algal community composition, bacterial abundance, and ash-free dry mass were relatively insensitive to UV treatment; however, the proportion of non-viable bacteria (p = 0.006) and area-specific EPS content (p = 0.025) were significantly greater in the UV-exposed treatment. These results suggest that ambient levels of UV can damage periphytic bacteria and may cause corresponding functional changes within naturally occurring periphytic communities.
Publication Title
Journal of Freshwater Ecology
Volume
24
Issue
2
First Page
315
Last Page
326
Recommended Citation
Thomas, V. K.,
Kuehn, K. A.,
Francoeur, S. N.
(2009). Effects of UV Radiation on Wetland Periphyton: Algae, Bacteria, and Extracellular Polysaccharides. Journal of Freshwater Ecology, 24(2), 315-326.
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/8420