Benthic Diatoms of the Ying River (Huaihe River Basin, China) and Their Application in Water Trophic Status Assessment

Abstract

Abstract:Benthic diatoms are an indispensable link of the water ecological system in terms of energy flow and material cycling, and they directly or indirectly reflect the status of the water environment. We sampled benthic diatoms and environmental factors from April to May of 2013 from 53 sites along the Ying River to study their application in local water trophic status assessment, with a focus on the dominant benthic diatom species, their composition and distribution pattern, and the relationship between benthic diatoms and environmental factors. A total of 370 species and varieties were identified, belonging to 56 genera and six orders. The dominant species were as follows: Nitzschia inconspicua Grunow, Achnanthidium minutissimum (Kützing) Czarnecki, Navicula aitchelbee L. L. Bahls, Nitzschia palea (Kützing) Smith, Cyclotella meneghiniana Kützing, Navicula submuralis Hustedt and Mayamaea atomus (Kützing) Lange-Bertalot. The Ying River was divided into five orders using the Strahler method and three regions according to total nitrogen, total phosphorus and ammonia nitrogen. In region Y-1, which had the lowest nutrient level, the dominant species was Achnanthidium minutissimum. In region Y-2, which had the highest nutrient level, Navicula aitchelbee, Nitzschia palea, and Cyclotella meneghiniana were dominant, while in region Y-3, which had moderate nutrient levels, Nitzschia inconspicua was dominant. Pearson's correlation analysis and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed a significant correlation between the environmental factors with dominant species and diatom indices (especially the SPI). Our study indicates that dominant species and diatom indices can, to some extent, indicate the environment, especially nutrient distribution.

The Relationship of Water Quality to Epipelic Diatom Assemblages in Cebong Lake, Dieng Indonesia

“…A high nutrient influences the diatom composition. The occurrence of N. palea at Site 1 indicated a high nutrient level [99]. This was in-line with the highest concentration of TN at Site 1 (Fig.…”

“…In the water quality monitoring program diatoms had been used as bioindicators due to their quick response to the environmental changes [25,[36][37][38][39], their correlated with the pollutant [32]. The advantages of using diatoms as a bioindicator for water quality, reflected the water quality and integrated effect of different stress, whereas physico-chemical parameter only indicated the water quality when the samples were taken and measured.…”

Diatoms recovery from wastewater: Overview from an ecological and economic perspective

“…Since more than 20 indices have been created from 1975 to 2015 such as humic degree, trophic level indicators, eutrophication, biological diatom index to name a few. However, the impact of indices has become less focal owing to the differences between floral geographical area and environment fluctuations guiding species to adapt according to the water quality criteria of the particular region in a particular instance of time [ 43 ]. Isolation and identification of benthic diatoms are problematic in comparison with planktonic species due to difficulties in sample treatment, sampling, and microscopic observation though benthic diatoms play the main role as bioindicators in the aquatic ecosystem because they attached to the substratum with secreted mucilage from their cell wall [ 44 , 45 ].…”

Multi-Scale Assessment of Relationships between Fragmentation of Riparian Forests and Biological Conditions in Streams

“…In this study, we used diatoms (trophic diatom index, TDI), macroinvertebrates (benthic macroinvertebrates index, BMI), and fish (fish assessment index, FAI) as indicators of the biological condition of streams in the study area. TDI is an index used for monitoring trophic condition in freshwater ecosystems based on the percentages of benthic diatom taxa, estimating periphyton condition in streams based on species abundance and sensitivity [53,74,80,81]. BMI describes the condition of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages based on changes in habitat and environmental condition [82][83][84].…”