Periphyton

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Periphyton on stone fragments (in the underwater museum near the former lighthouse, Alexandria, Egypt)

Periphyton ( Greek. Perí to, around 'and Greek. Phyton , plant') or regrowth (in English grew up ) or growth (engl. Vegetation ) denotes hydro biological fouling on submerged (located below the water surface) substrates (surfaces such. B. stones) and represents an important part of the benthos in salt and fresh water .

Periphyton on the great snail

Introductions to terms

  • The term "Aufwuchs" was used in 1905 by the German hydrobiologist Arthur Seligo (1859-1932).
  • The term “vegetation” was introduced in 1915 by the German hydrobiologist Ernst Hentschel (1876–1945).
  • The German hydrobiologist Alfred Willer (1889–1952) differentiated in 1920 “growth” for periphyton on living substrate and “growth” on dead.
  • The name “Periphyton” was introduced in 1924 by AL Behning, originally only for adhesions on artificial substrates.

Today the terms “growth” and “periphyton” are largely used synonymously, regardless of the type of substrate.

Different definitions

In a narrower sense, Periphyton only includes flora z. B. from small green algae and diatoms .

In a broader sense, periphyton also includes the species-rich fauna ( micro and meiofauna ) that live in or on this flora, consisting of protozoa , small multicellular animals ( snails , small crustaceans , rotifers , in fresh water also insect larvae , little bristle and tardigrade ) as food.

Growth is mostly related to the totality of flora and micro and meiofauna. In relation to the flora, specific terms such as “growth algae” are also used.

However, if the substrate is living plants, then, for example, an algae growth is referred to less as a periphyton than an epiphyte , and the carrier plant as a phorophyte .

Mouth of a tadpole grazing the periphyton of a pane of glass

Role in the ecosystem

The periphyton is an important part of limnic and marine ecosystems . It represents the food source of various groups of fish and other aquatic creatures (e.g. for many cichlids , carp-like or tadpoles ), which they graze on by nibbling.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Michael Schagerl, Karl Donabaum: Growing algae in the Danube river near Klosterneuburg (Austria). (PDF) In: Negotiations of the Zoological-Botanical Society in Austria, Volume 135, 1998, pp. 205–230.
  2. ↑ a b FishBase: grew up (online) viewed April 16, 2014.
  3. ^ A b c d Orson Whitney Young: A limnological investigation of periphyton in Douglas Lake, Michigan. In: Transactions of the American Microscopical Society 1945, pp. 1-20.
  4. ^ Alfred Willer In: Rudolf Vierhaus (Ed.): Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopädie , 2nd edition, Volume 10, KG Saur Verlag GmbH & Company, Walter De Gruyter Incorporated, 2008, p. 647.
  5. ↑ a b c Stefan Nehring, Ute Albrecht: Benthos and the redundant benthon: Neologisms in German-speaking limnology. In: Lauterbornia Volume 31, 1997, pp. 17-30 (p. 22).
  6. ↑ Ulrich Sommer : Marine Lebensgemeinschaften II: Das Benthos harter Substrate In: Ulrich Sommer (Hrsg.): Biologische Meereskunde Springer textbook, Berlin Heidelberg 2005 (2nd, revised edition), ISBN 978-3-540-27418-6 , Pp. 229-295. doi : 10.1007 / 3-540-27418-9_7 .