Development of monitoring probes to assess water-quality using benthic riverine indicator communities: Fatty acid analyses of stream biofilms
Development of monitoring probes to assess water-quality using benthic riverine indicator communities: Fatty acid analyses of stream biofilms
Like humans, aquatic organisms require a variety of vitamins and nutrients to remain healthy. Some important dietary compounds, such as fatty acids, cannot be synthesized by many organisms and therefore must be obtained from their diet. In stream food webs some of these dietary compounds can be found at the base of the food web in stream biofilms, complex biological microorganisms that include bacteria, algae, and fungi. As such, the diversity, dominance or even absence of key fatty acids in biofilms may be useful indicators of ecological health. USGS researchers, in collaboration with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, are developing new indicators of ecological stress (e.g., excessive nutrients, sediment) based on stream biofilm fatty acid composition.
Development of monitoring probes to assess water-quality using benthic riverine indicator communities: Fatty acid analyses of stream biofilms
Like humans, aquatic organisms require a variety of vitamins and nutrients to remain healthy. Some important dietary compounds, such as fatty acids, cannot be synthesized by many organisms and therefore must be obtained from their diet. In stream food webs some of these dietary compounds can be found at the base of the food web in stream biofilms, complex biological microorganisms that include bacteria, algae, and fungi. As such, the diversity, dominance or even absence of key fatty acids in biofilms may be useful indicators of ecological health. USGS researchers, in collaboration with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, are developing new indicators of ecological stress (e.g., excessive nutrients, sediment) based on stream biofilm fatty acid composition.