Sarah B. Whorley, Department of Biology, Eastern Michigan University, D-202 Cornell Cts, Ypsilanti, MI 48197 and Steven N. Francoeur, Department of Biology, Center for Aquatic Microbial Ecology, Eastern Michigan University, 316 Mark Jefferson, Ypsilanti, MI 48197.
Water quality monitoring has traditionally been done by measuring
benthic algal biomass that has grown on fertilized or unfertilized
patches of habitat produced by nutrient-diffusing substrata (NDS).
This method requires the destruction of the accumulated periphyton
communities and thus does not allow for convenient monitoring through
time. Optical fluorometric methods of estimating benthic algal biomass
and photosynthetic activity have been used in marine environments, but
generally not across nutrient treatments or over long durations. This
study evaluated the use of a pulse amplitude modulated (PAM)
fluorometer for measuring biomass and photosynthetic activity in
conjunction with NDS over several weeks. Our results suggest that this
is a useful method for measuring algal biomass responses to nutrients
and evaluating the effect of nutrients on photosynthetic efficiency.
Web Page:
Periphyton, fluorimetry