The substrate, a key factor or not, to explain the species diversity of diatom communities in mineral springs

ABSTRACT

Diatoms colonised most aquatic ecosystems on earth from marine to freshwater ones, and also the springs containing a fairly large and poorly known diversity of diatoms. While investigations on the influence of substrates on diatom assemblages in rivers are relatively well documented, few studies have been done for mineral springs. The purpose of this study was to analyse if the type of substrate on which diatoms grow, influences diatom assemblage’s ecological metrics (i.e. species richness, diversity and evenness) and diatom composition. During 18 months, two minerals springs of Auvergne (France), La Montagne and Mariol were sampled monthly, both epilithic and epipelic diatom communities. A total of 201 taxa were found. Data analysis showed that location (i.e. environmental variables of a site) explained significantly higher portions of variability of diatom composition than substrate. However, substrate have a role in the species abundances as much as the location.

KEYWORDS:

• Diversity of diatom community
• substrate influence
• community drivers
• mineral springs

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge financial support from CNRS-INEE within the context of the Zone Atelier Territoires Uranifères. We also acknowledge the anonymous reviewer and Patrick Gasqui (INRAE, UR EpiA - Unité de Recherche d’Épidémiologie Animale, France) for their help and advises for the statistical analyses of the results.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

Lory-Anne Baker, Aude Beauger and David G. Biron conceived and performed the study and experiments.

Lory-Anne Baker designed and performed the statistical and data analyses with advises of her thesis directors Aude Beauger and David G. Biron, Elisabeth Allain and Vincent Breton help in field experiments.

Fanny Millan and Lory-Anne Baker performed the biological analysis of diatom communities. Olivier Voldoire did the water analysis.

Carlos E. Wetzel helped in discussion of results, advised the taxonomic content.

Luc Ector helped in provision of literature, discussion of results. Lory-Anne Baker wrote the main manuscript with Aude Beauger and David G. Biron in consultation with Fanny Millan, Olivier Voldoire, Vincent Breton, Elisabeth Allain, Carlos E. Wetzel and Luc Ector.

All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by a grant from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, NEEDS, project Acronym: DISCOVER). L.A.B. was supported by a Ph. D. grant from the CNRS. Funding for this research was partly provided to C.E.W. and L.E. in the framework of the project DIATOMS (LIST – Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology).