Open AccessA comparative study of ciliated protozoa communities in activated‐sludge plants
Author(s) -
MartínCereceda M.,
Serrano S.,
Guinea A.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6941.1996.tb00123.x
Subject(s) - biology , activated sludge , protozoa , effluent , abundance (ecology) , ciliate , ecology , sewage treatment , botany , environmental engineering , engineering
Ciliated protozoa present in ten activated sludge plants at Madrid (Spain) were identified. The abundance of key groups of ciliates was determined at each plant; attached ciliates made up the most abundant and representative group. Multivariate statistical analysis was employed to study relationships between ciliates and both the physico‐chemical and operational parameters of the plants. Partial correlation analysis revealed: (1) The indicator value of attached ciliates in assessing management and performance of the activated sludge process, (2) the relationship of swimming ciliates with short‐aged sludges and lower quality effluents and (3) the direct association between swimming‐crawling ciliates and bad settlement conditions of the sludge. Factor analysis showed the associations of the most frequent species of ciliates with the operational parameters of the plants, suggesting the indicator value of some of the species: Vorticella striata was related with poor quality of effluent; Aspidisca cicada with stable plant conditions, and Litonotus lamella with a deficiently settling sludge.