Short and long-term effects of ambient ultraviolet radiation on substrate colonization, biomass accrual, and community composition of periphyton in Douglas Lake.

Abstract

Algae are important constituents of many aquatic and marine ecosystems. To assess the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on benthic algae, substrates in Douglas Lake were exposed to different levels of UV radiation. At day 11 of algal colonization, there was no significant difference in the biomass of the communities, as measured by chlorophyll a and ash-free dry mass. The amount of lake water included in the substrate sample was an important confounding factor in interpretation of chlorophyll a data.