- Title
- Effects of substrate on essential fatty acids produced by phytobenthos in an austral temperate river system
- Creator
- Dalu, Tatenda
- Creator
- Galloway, Aaron W E
- Creator
- Richoux, Nicole B
- Creator
- Froneman, P William
- Date Issued
- 2016
- Date
- 2016
- Type
- text
- Type
- article
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68002
- Identifier
- vital:29179
- Identifier
- https://doi.org/10.1086/688698
- Description
- Publisher version
- Description
- Aquatic and riparian habitats increasingly are affected by anthropogenic stressors, but the effects of these stressors on the nutritional quality of primary producers are often unknown. We compared essential fatty acids (EFAs) in the phytobenthos (benthic algae) growing on different substrate types (bricks, clay tiles, rocks, macrophytes, and sediments) at 2 river sites subject to differing anthropogenic stressors (using nutrient concentration as a proxy) in a temperate southern hemisphere location. We hypothesized that the fatty acid (FA) content of phytobenthos changes in response to shifts in local nutrient availability but not substrate type. EFA content (18∶2ω6, 18∶3ω3, 20∶4ω6, 20∶5ω3, and 22∶6ω3) in the phytobenthos differed overall among substrates, sites, and seasons and was generally greater in summer than in autumn and winter. EFA content was significantly greater on artificial than natural substrates and was greater at the nutrient-enriched downstream site than at the upstream site. The response of EFA content at the downstream site suggests that land use affected the synthesis of EFAs by phytobenthos and, hence, food quality for aquatic consumers. These findings indicate a potential link between physical factors, such as substrate availability and land management, and the quality of basal food resources available to primary consumers in aquatic food webs.
- Format
- 14 pages
- Format
- Publisher
- The University of Chicago Press
- Language
- English
- Relation
- Freshwater Science
- Relation
- Dalu,T., Galloway, A.W.E., Richoux, N.B. and Froneman, P. W. (2016) Effects of substrate on essential fatty acids produced by phytobenthos in an austral temperate river system. Freshwater Science , 35 (4) 1189-1201. https://doi.org/10.1086/688698
- Relation
- Freshwater Science volume 35 number 4 1189 1201 2016 2161-9565
- Rights
- The University of Chicago Press
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the National Library of South Africa Copyright Act (http://www.nlsa.ac.za/downloads/Copyright Act.pdf)
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Froneman, Pierre William (Prof)
Richoux, Nicole (Assoc Prof)
RU Department of Zoology and Entomology
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