Periphyton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Periphyton is a complex matrix of algae, cyanobacteria, heterotrophic microbes, and detritus that is attached to submerged substrata in almost all aquatic ecosystems. It serves as an important food source for invertebrates and some fish, and it can be an important sorber of contaminants. The periphyton is also an important indicator of water quality; responses of this community to pollutants can be measured at a variety of scales representing physiological to community-level changes.
One of the simpliest methods of classifying these communities is based on the substrate to which they are attached. Communities growing on plants are classified as epiphytic; on rocks are classified as epilithic; on sand are classified as epipsammic; on sediments are classified as epipelic; on animals are classified as epizoic; floating periphyton is classified as metaphyton. Periphyton mats may change from substrate associated to floating depending on environmental conditions.
Periphyon communities are used in aquaculture food production systems for the removal of solid and dissolved pollutants. Their performance in filtration is established and their application as aquacultural feed is being researched.
