Abstract
Year-round measurements of the standing crop of epilithic algae (as chlorophyll a concentration) in two streams — one second and one fourth order (map scale 1:63 360) — in interior Alaska (64°–65°N) were only about one tenth that reported from streams of temperate North America. Cell densities in these streams, however, were similar to those in comparable temperate streams. Year-round domination of the benthic flora by very tiny diatoms (Achnanthes spp.) may explain the apparent disparity between low chlorophyll a content and nearly average cell densities. Chlorophyll a standing crop in a more alkaline groundwater-fed stream, however, was higher and within the range of similarly sized temperate streams. Maximum chlorophyll a standing crop varied positively with alkalinity in 5 clear-water streams where standing crop was measured on natural or artificial substrates. Seasonal mean concentrations of sestonic chlorophyll a (used as estimates of benthic algal chlorophyll a standing crop) varied directly and significantly with alkalinity among ten clear-water streams; and, with total phosphorus among 8 of 10 clear-water and 5 brown-water streams studied. During the summer, when there is little darkness, gross primary productivity (as estimated by the diurnal dissolved-oxygen method) was similar to that of northern temperate streams. Gross primary productivity was also seen to vary directly with alkalinity in 5 clear-water streams of this region.
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LaPerriere, J.D., Van Nieuwenhuyse, E.E., Anderson, P.R. (1989). Benthic algal biomass and productivity in high subarctic streams, Alaska. In: Vincent, W.F., Ellis-Evans, J.C. (eds) High Latitude Limnology. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 49. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2603-5_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2603-5_6
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