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Development of monitoring probes to assess water-quality using benthic riverine indicator communities: Fatty acid analyses of stream biofilms Active

By Eastern Ecological Science Center November 8, 2018

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. 

 

Biofilms growing in the laboratory
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
Biofilms can be found throughout streams and rivers and contain important dietary supplements, like fatty acids, that aquatic organisms require to remain healthy.   
  • Overview

    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. 

     

    Biofilms growing in the laboratory
    Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
    Biofilms can be found throughout streams and rivers and contain important dietary supplements, like fatty acids, that aquatic organisms require to remain healthy.