Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution, density, community structure and biodiversity characteristics of benthic diatoms, and to analyze whether differences in species composition and abundance exist in different regions of the Niyang River, Tibet. Among the 157 taxa observed in 15 sampling sites in the main river and tributary, most were casual species (>100), the relative abundance of the genera Achnanthes and Fragilaria was 67% of the total relative abundance. Achnanthes minutissima was the most important species and dominated the whole river reaches (average relative abundance was 30%); the average diatom densities were 7.4 × 105 cell/cm2 at all sites, and increased slowly from the upper section to downriver. The significant indicator taxa with higher relative abundance were Achnanthes biasolettiana (18.0%) and Fragilaria arcus (18.2%), Fragilaria capucina var. vaucheriae (31.2%), Fragilaria construens var. venter (11.3%) and Cymbella affinis (11.0%) in the upper, tributary and mid-river sections, respectively. Achnanthes minutissima was the most abundant species (56%) in the downriver section. Biodiversity indices showed a gradual decrease from the up- to down-river section, and dominant species were more abundant in the upper and mid-river sections than in the downriver section. A two-way indictor species analysis (TWINSPAN) of diatom composition clearly showed four different groups, namely the upper, mid, lower and tributary sections. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) supported the results of TWINSPAN, and the characteristics of site distribution and species composition in the Niyang River supported the spatial structure of diatom assemblages. This study indicates that bio-assessment programs utilizing benthic diatoms could clearly benefit lotic water with regional stratification.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Biggs B J F. 1996. Patterns of benthic algae in streams. In: Stevenson R J, Bothwell M L, Lowe R L eds. Algal Ecology—Freshwater Benthic Ecosystems. Academic Press, California. p.31–56.
Fabricius A L M, Maidana N, Gomez M N, Sabater S. 2003. Distribution pattern of benthic diatoms in a Pampean River exposed to seasonal floods: the Cuarto River (Argentina). Biodivers. Conserv., 12(12): 2 443–2 454.
Fallu M A, Allaire N, Pienitz R. 2002. Distribution of freshwater diatoms in 64 Labrador (Canada) lakes: species-environment relationships along latitudinal gradients and reconstruction models for water colour and alkalinity. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 59: 329–349.
Forster R M, Creach V, Sabbe K, Vyverman W, Stal L J. 2006. Biodiversity-ecosystem function relationship in microphytobenthic diatoms of the Westerschelde estuary. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 311: 191–201.
Frankovich T A, Gaiser E E, Zieman J C, Wachnicka A H. 2006. Spatial and temporal distributions of epiphytic diatoms growing on Thalassia testudinum Banks ex Konig: relationships to water quality. Hydrobiologia, 569: 259–271.
Jäuttner I, Sharma S, Cox E J. 2003. Diatoms as indicators of stream quality in the Kathmandu Valley and Middle Hills of Nepal and India. Freshwater Boil., 48: 2 065–2 084.
Kilroy C, Biggs B J F, Vyverman W, Broady P A. 2006. Benthic diatom communities in subalpine pools in New Zealand: relationships to environmental variables. Hydrobiologia, 561: 95–110.
Krammer K, Lange-Bertalot H. 1986–1991. Säußwasserflora von Mitteleuropa Bacillariophyceae. Stuttgart: Gustav Fischer Verlag.
Leland H V, Porter S D. 2000. Distribution of benthic algae in the upper Illinois River basin in relation to geology and land use. Freshwater Biol., 44: 279–301.
Lobo E A, Katoh K, Aruga Y. 1995. Response of epilithic diatom assemblages to water pollution in rivers in the Tokyo Metropolitan area, Japan. Freshwater Biol., 34: 191–204.
Nather Khan I S. 1991. Effect of urban and industrial wastes on species diversity of the diatom community in a tropical river, Malaysia. Hydrobiologia, 224: 175–184.
Ndiritu G G, Gichuki N N, Triest L. 2006. Distribution of epilithic diatoms in response to environmental conditions in an urban tropical stream, Central Kenya. Biodivers. and Conserv., 15: 3 267–3 293.
Pielou E C. 1966. The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collections. J. Theoretic. Biol., 13: 131–144.
Ponader K C, Charles D F, Belton T J. 2007. Diatom-based TP and TN inference models and indices for monitoring nutrient enrichment of New Jersey streams. Ecol. Indicat., 7: 79–93.
Potapova M G, Charles D F. 2002. Benthic diatoms in USA rivers: distributions along spatial and environmental gradients. J. Biogeogr., 29: 167–187.
Shannon C E, Weaver W. 1949. The Mathematical Theory of Communication. University of Illinois Press, Urbana.
Soininen J, Paavola R, Muotka T. 2004. Benthic diatom communities in boreal streams: community structure in relation to environmental and spatial gradients. Ecogeogr., 27: 330–342.
Stevenson R J, Bothwell M L, Lowe R L. 1996. Algal Ecology. Academic Press, California. p.10–260.
Tang T, Qu X D, Li D F, Liu R Q, Xie Z C, Cai Q H. 2004. Benthic algae of the Xiangxi River, China. J. Freshw. Ecol., 19: 597–604.
TETCAS (Tibetan Expedition Team of the Chinese Academy of Science). 1983. Tibetan Geomorphology. Science Press, Beijing. 39p. (in Chinese with English abstract)
Van Dam H, Mertens A, Sinkeldam J. 1994. A coded checklist and ecological values of freshwater diatoms from Netherland. Netherland J. Aquat. Ecol., 28(1): 117–133.
Wang C H, Zhang J T. 2004. Studies on DCCA of the attached diatom community in headwater rivers of Fenhe Reservoir. China Environ. Sci., 24: 28–31. (in Chinese with English abstract)
Ward J V. 1998. Riverine landscapes: biodiversity patterns, disturbance regimes, and aquatic conservation. Biol. Conserve., 83(3): 269–278.
Winter J G, Duthie H C. 2000. Epilithic diatoms as indicators of stream total N and P concentration. J. North. Am. Benthol. Soc., 19: 32–49.
Wu N C, Tang T, Qu X D, Cai Q H. 2009. Spatial distribution of benthic algae in the Gangqu River, Shangrila, China. Aquat. Ecol., 43: 37–49.
Zhu H Z, Chen J Y. 2000. Bacillariophyta of the Tibet, China. Science Press, Beijing. (in Chinese)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30970550)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pei, G., Liu, G. Distribution patterns of benthic diatoms during summer in the Niyang River, Tibet, China. Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 29, 1192–1198 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-011-0291-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-011-0291-4