Colonization rates and community structure of diatoms on three different rock substrata in a lotic system

Abstract

Diatom assemblages were monitored at weekly intervals over a 5 week period on Verde limestone, Supai sandstone, and Andesitic basalt substrata in a mountain stream in northern Arizona, U.S.A. Density, Shannon-Weiner diversity, evenness, and community similarity (SIMI) were used to compare colonization patterns and community structure between individual substratum types. Average standing crop values were nearly two-fold higher on sandstone than on either basalt or limestone substrata after the first week of the study. It is proposed that differences in micro-surface features between substrata and possibly the rate of substratum solubilization may cause these differences in density early in the colonization period. Following the initial week, standing crop and community structure were significantly similar on all substrata for the remainder of the study period. Maximum densities were attained by the third week and remained relatively constant on all substrata for the remainder of the study.

SEM micrographs demonstrated that surfaces of submerged substrata in streams are modified after the first week by the accumulation of organic aggregates. The establishment of an “organic matrix” early in the colonization process may provide relatively similar attachment surfaces for microbial invasion. This appears to reduce the initial microtopographic differences displayed by substrata and allows for a more uniform colonization pattern.