Table 2
Structural and functional attributes of the stream benthic soft-bodied algae community used as metrics in IBIs and reported relationships with environmental variables. Positive relationships are in regular font, negative relationships are italicized. (*) indicates that metric is calculated as proportion from the entire assemblage, including “living” diatom cells. “Algae” refers to entire algal assemblage, including diatoms, “SBA” refers to soft-bodied (non-diatom) algae only.
| Soft-bodied algal | IBI metric relationship | References |
|---|---|---|
| community attribute | with environmental variables | |
| Biomass category | ||
|
|
||
| Total biovolume | a, m | |
| Total biovolume* | NO2 + NO , TSSe |
a, e |
| Cell density | a | |
| Cell density* | TSS e | e, f |
| Ash-free dry mass (AFDM)* | % urban and suburban landc, % sand and fine sedimentsc, TSSc, canopyd, sloped, Cld, SO , TNd |
a, c, d, j, o |
| Chlorophyll a (Chl a) * | % urban and suburban landc, colorc, Fec, canopyd, Cld, cannel widthd, riparian disturbanced | a, c, d, f, k, o |
| Autotrophic index (AFDM/Chl a) * | j, o | |
| Taxonomic composition category | ||
| Indicator guilds category, Indicator species category, | ||
| Nutrient stoichiometry, Metabolic rates | ||
|
|
||
| Species richness* | NH , TNe, TPe, PO, TSSe, % agriculture lande, % forested lande |
a, e |
| Relative genera richness* | Clc, Fec, Mnc | a, c |
| Genera richness | f | |
| Division richness* | f | |
| Shannon index* | g, o | |
| Cyanobacteria (RA)* | SiO , agriculture+all human disturbance in riparian zonec |
a, c, f |
| Cyanobacteria non-heterocystous (RB, RSR) | m | |
| Chlorophyta (RA)* | a, f | |
| Chlorophyta (RB) | land useb | b |
| Chlorophyta excl. Zygnemataceae (RB, RSR) | m | |
| Zygnemataceae (RB, RSR) | m | |
| Rhodophyta (RA)* | a, f | |
| Rhodophyta (RB, RSR) | m | |
| Indicator guilds category | ||
|
|
||
| N 2 -fixing heterocystous | m, n | |
| cyanobacteria (RB, RSR) | ||
| N 2 -fixing algae (RA)* | % forested lande, NO2+NO , TNe, % agriculture+urban lande |
e |
| CRUS (RB) | land useb | b |
| ZHR (RR) | land useb | b |
| Sestonic algae (RA)* | NH, TNe, TPe, PO, TSSe, % agriculture+urban lande, % forested lande |
e |
| Motile algae (RA)* | NH, NO2 +NO, TNe, TPe, PO, TSSe, % agriculture lande, % forested lande |
e |
| Indicator species category | ||
|
|
||
| Sensitive SBA (RB)* | % developed land covera | a |
| Sensitive algae (RB)* | % developed land covera | a |
| Eutrophic SBA (RA)* | TNe, TPe, PO, % agriculture lande, % forested lande |
e |
| Eutrophic algae (RA)* | NO2 +NO, TNe, TPe, PO, TSSe, % agriculture+urban lande, % forested lande |
e |
| Low TP SBA indicators (RSR) | land useb | b |
| High DOC SBA indicators (RB, RSR) | land useb | b |
| High Cu SBA indicators (RSR) | land useb | b |
| Non-reference conditions | land useb | b |
| SBA indicators (RB, RSR) | ||
| TP algal indicators (RA)* | g | |
| Conductivity algal indicators (RA)* | i | |
| DIN algal indicators (RA)* | i | |
|
|
||
| Nutrient content | ||
|
|
||
| Algal C/SA, N/SA, P/SA | j | |
| Nutrient stoichiometry | ||
| C:N/SA | j | |
| N:P/SA | j, o | |
| Metabolic rates | ||
|
|
||
| Alkaline phosphatase activity* | agriculture in riparian zonec, TPd, canopyd, all disturbance in riparian zonec, channel substrate, width, and depthd | c, d, f |
References: Danielson et al., 2011 (a); Fetscher et al., 2014 (b); Hill et al., 2000 (c); Hill et al., 2003 (d); Porter et al., 2008 (e); Griffith et al., 2002 (f); Leland and Porter 2001 (g); Munn et al., 2002 (i); O‘Brien and Wehr 2010 (j); Pan et al., 1999 (k); Stancheva et al., 2012a (m); Stancheva et al., 2013b (n); Vis et al., 1998 (o). Abbreviations: IBI – multimetric indices of biotic integrity, RB – relative biovolume, RA – relative abundance based on cell numbers, RSR – relative species richness, SA – surface area, CRUS – Cladophora glomerata +Rhizoclonium hieroglyphicum +Ulva flexuosa +Stigeoclonium spp., ZHR – Zygnemataceae + heterocystous cyanobacteria + Rhodophyta, DIN – dissolved inorganic nitrogen, TN-total nitrogen, TP – total phosphorus, DOC – dissolved organic carbon, TSS – total suspended solids, WT – water temperature.
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