IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/envman/v45y2010i3d10.1007_s00267-010-9425-2.html

The Role of Periphyton in Mediating the Effects of Pollution in a Stream Ecosystem

Author

Listed:
  • Walter R. Hill

    (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division
    University of Illinois, Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability, Illinois Natural History Survey)

  • Michael G. Ryon

    (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division)

  • John G. Smith

    (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division)

  • S. Marshall Adams

    (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division)

  • Harry L. Boston

    (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division
    Boston Government Services)

  • Arthur J. Stewart

    (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division
    Oak Ridge Associated Universities)

Abstract

The effects of pollutants on primary producers ramify through ecosystems because primary producers provide food and structure for higher trophic levels and they mediate the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and contaminants. Periphyton (attached algae) were studied as part of a long-term biological monitoring program designed to guide remediation efforts by the Department of Energy’s Y-12 National Security Complex on East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. High concentrations of nutrients entering EFPC were responsible for elevated periphyton production and placed the stream in a state of eutrophy. High rates of primary production at upstream locations in EFPC were associated with alterations in both invertebrate and fish communities. Grazers represented >50% of the biomass of invertebrates and fish near the Y-12 Complex but

Suggested Citation

  • Walter R. Hill & Michael G. Ryon & John G. Smith & S. Marshall Adams & Harry L. Boston & Arthur J. Stewart, 2010. "The Role of Periphyton in Mediating the Effects of Pollution in a Stream Ecosystem," Environmental Management, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 563-576, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:envman:v:45:y:2010:i:3:d:10.1007_s00267-010-9425-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s00267-010-9425-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00267-010-9425-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s00267-010-9425-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:envman:v:45:y:2010:i:3:d:10.1007_s00267-010-9425-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.