Algal Ecology: Freshwater Benthic Ecosystem

Alga,1Ecology FreshwaterBenthicEcosystems AQUATIC ECOLOGYSeries Series Editor James H. Thorp Department of Biology University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky Other titles in the series: Groundwater Ecology Janine Gibert, Dan L. Danielopol, Jack A. Stanford Fresh water Ben thic Ecosystems Edited by R. Jan Stevenson Department of Biology University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky Max L. Both well Environmental Sciences National Hydrological Research Institute Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Rex L. Lowe Department of Biological Sciences Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, Ohio ACADEMIC PRESS San Diego New York Boston London Sydney Tokyo Toronto Front cover photograph: The filamentous diatom Aulacoseira entangled among the stalked diatoms Cymbella and Gomphonema. (See Chapter 1, Figure 1 for more details.) This book is printed on acid-flee paper. (~ Copyright 1996, Elsevier (USA) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be mailed to: Permissions Department, Harcourt, Inc., 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777. Academic Press An imprint of Elsevier 525 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego, California 92101-4495, USA http://www.academicpress.com Academic Press 84 Theobald's Road, London WC1X 8RR, UK http ://www. academicpress, com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Algal ecology: freshwater benthic ecosystems/edited by R. Jan Stevenson, Max I. Bothwell, Rex L. Lowe. p. cm.-(Aquatic ecology series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-12-668450-2 (alk. paper) 1. Freshwater algae--Ecology. 2. Freshwater ecology. I. Stevenson, R. Jan. II. Bothwell, M.L. (Max L.) III. Lowe, Rex IV. Series. QK570.25.A43 1996 589.3'5---dc20 95-51737 CIP PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 03 04 05 06 9 8 7 6 5 4 Jan and Rex graciously asked me to dedicate this book to my wife Carol R. Bothwell (deceased November 5, 1994) in remembrance of the selfless dedication she gave to me over the years so that my career might prosper. In this, she was not unlike many other wives, including Mariellyn Stevenson and Sheryn Lowe, who spend their lives nurturing their husbands and children so that they might grow and fulfill their own dreams. Max L. Bothwell This Page Intentionally Left Blank Contents Contributors xxi Preface xxiii Acknowledgments SECTION XXV ONE PATTERNS OF BENTHIC ALGAE IN AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS 1 An Introduction to Algal Ecology in Freshwater Benthic Habitats R. Jan Stevenson vii viii Contents I. The Diversity of Benthic Algae and Their Habitats in Fresh Waters 3 A. The Taxonomic and Morphological Diversity of Benthic Algae 3 B. The Habitats of Freshwater Benthic Algae 8 II. The Niche of Freshwater Benthic Algae 10 A. The Role of Benthic Algae in Ecosystems 10 B. How Are Algae in Benthos and Plankton Different? 11 III. Methods for Characterizing Freshwater Benthic Algae 12 A. Population and Community Structure 12 B. Population and Community Function 18 W. Conceptual Frameworks for Benthic Alg