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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Modeling the Size Spectrum for Macroinvertebrates and Fishes in Stream Ecosystems

Modeling the Size Spectrum for Macroinvertebrates and Fishes in Stream Ecosystems

Published on: July 30, 2019

Disturbance frequency influences patch dynamics in stream benthic algal communities.

Mark E Ledger¹, Rebecca M L Harris, Patrick D Armitage

¹School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. m.e.ledger@bham.ac.uk

|January 15, 2008

Summary

Droughts and water management create patchy dewatering in rivers. This disturbance alters algal communities, reducing green algae dominance and promoting diatom diversity, creating varied stream bed mosaics.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Freshwater Biology
Ecosystem Dynamics

Background:

Riverine ecosystems are shaped by disturbances like fluctuating low flows.
Droughts and water management can cause periodic dewatering of riverine habitats.
This dewatering can lead to varied taxonomic composition and successional dynamics in benthic communities.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how the frequency of habitat patch dewatering affects the structure and temporal dynamics of benthic algal communities.
To understand the role of disturbance frequency in shaping algal assemblages in riverine ecosystems.

Main Methods:

A 693-day stream mesocosm experiment was conducted.
Short dewatering disturbances (6 days) were applied at high (33-day cycles) and low (99-day cycles) frequencies.
Algal assemblages were compared to undisturbed controls at 21 time points.

Main Results:

Disturbance reduced the dominance of the green alga Gongrosira incrustans.
Crust abundance decreased with increasing disturbance frequency, favoring diatom mats.
Diatom mat responses varied, influenced by species composition, physiognomy, and stress-resistance.

Conclusions:

Patchy dewatering during low flow periods significantly influences algal successional dynamics.
Disturbance frequency creates heterogeneous algal mosaics on stream beds.
Algal community structure and resilience are modulated by disturbance regimes and species composition.