Didymosphenia geminata in the Upper Esopus Creek: Current Status, Variability, and Controlling Factors.

In May of 2009, the bloom-forming diatom Didymosphenia geminata was first identified in the Upper Esopus Creek, a key tributary to the New York City water-supply and a popular recreational stream. The Upper Esopus receives supplemental flows from the Shandaken Portal, an underground aqueduct deliver...

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Main Authors: Scott Daniel George, Barry Paul Baldigo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2015-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4493098?pdf=render
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spelling doaj-37d06f16d6cf4c3a90d9c28c2091460c2020-11-25T02:25:02ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032015-01-01107e013055810.1371/journal.pone.0130558Didymosphenia geminata in the Upper Esopus Creek: Current Status, Variability, and Controlling Factors.Scott Daniel GeorgeBarry Paul BaldigoIn May of 2009, the bloom-forming diatom Didymosphenia geminata was first identified in the Upper Esopus Creek, a key tributary to the New York City water-supply and a popular recreational stream. The Upper Esopus receives supplemental flows from the Shandaken Portal, an underground aqueduct delivering waters from a nearby basin. The presence of D. geminata is a concern for the local economy, water supply, and aquatic ecosystem because nuisance blooms have been linked to degraded stream condition in other regions. Here we ascertain the extent and severity of the D. geminata invasion, determine the impact of supplemental flows from the Portal on D. geminata, and identify potential factors that may limit D. geminata in the watershed. Stream temperature, discharge, and water quality were characterized at select sites and periphyton samples were collected five times at 6 to 20 study sites between 2009 and 2010 to assess standing crop, diatom community structure, and density of D. geminata and all diatoms. Density of D. geminata ranged from 0-12 cells cm(-2) at tributary sites, 0-781 cells cm(-2) at sites upstream of the Portal, and 0-2,574 cells cm(-2) at sites downstream of the Portal. Survey period and Portal (upstream or downstream) each significantly affected D. geminata cell density. In general, D. geminata was most abundant during the November 2009 and June 2010 surveys and at sites immediately downstream of the Portal. We found that D. geminata did not reach nuisance levels or strongly affect the periphyton community. Similarly, companion studies showed that local macroinvertebrate and fish communities were generally unaffected. A number of abiotic factors including variable flows and moderate levels of phosphorous and suspended sediment may limit blooms of D. geminata in this watershed.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4493098?pdf=render
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Scott Daniel George
Barry Paul Baldigo
spellingShingle Scott Daniel George
Barry Paul Baldigo
Didymosphenia geminata in the Upper Esopus Creek: Current Status, Variability, and Controlling Factors.
PLoS ONE
author_facet Scott Daniel George
Barry Paul Baldigo
author_sort Scott Daniel George
title Didymosphenia geminata in the Upper Esopus Creek: Current Status, Variability, and Controlling Factors.
title_short Didymosphenia geminata in the Upper Esopus Creek: Current Status, Variability, and Controlling Factors.
title_full Didymosphenia geminata in the Upper Esopus Creek: Current Status, Variability, and Controlling Factors.
title_fullStr Didymosphenia geminata in the Upper Esopus Creek: Current Status, Variability, and Controlling Factors.
title_full_unstemmed Didymosphenia geminata in the Upper Esopus Creek: Current Status, Variability, and Controlling Factors.
title_sort didymosphenia geminata in the upper esopus creek: current status, variability, and controlling factors.
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
series PLoS ONE
issn 1932-6203
publishDate 2015-01-01
description In May of 2009, the bloom-forming diatom Didymosphenia geminata was first identified in the Upper Esopus Creek, a key tributary to the New York City water-supply and a popular recreational stream. The Upper Esopus receives supplemental flows from the Shandaken Portal, an underground aqueduct delivering waters from a nearby basin. The presence of D. geminata is a concern for the local economy, water supply, and aquatic ecosystem because nuisance blooms have been linked to degraded stream condition in other regions. Here we ascertain the extent and severity of the D. geminata invasion, determine the impact of supplemental flows from the Portal on D. geminata, and identify potential factors that may limit D. geminata in the watershed. Stream temperature, discharge, and water quality were characterized at select sites and periphyton samples were collected five times at 6 to 20 study sites between 2009 and 2010 to assess standing crop, diatom community structure, and density of D. geminata and all diatoms. Density of D. geminata ranged from 0-12 cells cm(-2) at tributary sites, 0-781 cells cm(-2) at sites upstream of the Portal, and 0-2,574 cells cm(-2) at sites downstream of the Portal. Survey period and Portal (upstream or downstream) each significantly affected D. geminata cell density. In general, D. geminata was most abundant during the November 2009 and June 2010 surveys and at sites immediately downstream of the Portal. We found that D. geminata did not reach nuisance levels or strongly affect the periphyton community. Similarly, companion studies showed that local macroinvertebrate and fish communities were generally unaffected. A number of abiotic factors including variable flows and moderate levels of phosphorous and suspended sediment may limit blooms of D. geminata in this watershed.
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4493098?pdf=render
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