TEMPERATURE AND MANGANESE AS DETERMINING FACTORS IN THE PRESENCE OF DIATOM OR BLUE-GREEN ALGAL FLORAS IN STREAMS*
Abstract
Diatoms are usually the major component of the algal flora in many streams, although green and blue-green algae may be present. These experiments were designed to determine if high temperature or a shift in the chemical composition of the water might bring about a dominance of blue-green algae and/or green algae rather than a dominance of diatoms in the algal flora.
The results of these experiments indicate that an average temperature of 34° to 38°C results in a shift of dominance in the algal flora from diatoms to blue-green algae. Furthermore, a blue-green and green algal flora of species typically found in organically polluted water in favored if the manganese content is a few parts per billion. If the manganese content averaged 0.02-0.043 mg/liter in the natural stream to 0.04-0.28 mg/liter in the recycled water experiment, a diatom flora remained dominant.
Footnotes
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↵ * This study was made possible by grant WP-00475 from the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration. These experiments were performed at the Stroud Water Research Center of the Limnology Department.
