Abstract

We present an efficient in situ sampling device that allows a simple and quantitative sampling of natural periphyton communities. The Brush Sampler is based on a previously developed sampler, which was improved by the addition of an external water supply, ball valve closing mechanism, and special exchangeable stiff brushes to solve previously reported problems of biomass overestimation and underestimation. The Brush Sampler was tested under ambient conditions in the field at four different sampling sites in a lentic and a lotic system and compared to the old sampler and control samples. The tests revealed a high inaccuracy of the old sampler and showed that biomass estimates (ash-free dry mass and chlorophyll-a content) obtained with the improved Brush Sampler did not significantly differ from biomass values determined from scrapings of control samples collected at the same sites. Therefore, our modified sampling device can be used as a tool for quantitative and qualitative epilithon community analyses

Keywords

PERIPHYTON; CHLOROPHYLL-A; SAMPLING METHOD; BRUSH SAMPLER; EPILITHON; LITTORAL HARD SUBSTRATES; MICROBENTHOS; MEIOFAUNA

Published in

Archiv fur Hydrobiologie
2005, Volume: 163, number: 1, pages: 133-141
Publisher: E SCHWEIZERBARTSCHE VERLAGS

SLU Authors

• Kahlert, Maria

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Fish and Aquacultural Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1127/0003-9138/2005/0163-0133

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/23227