Site Variation in Littoral Periphyton Populations: Correlation and Regression with Environmental Factors

Over a six month period, littoral periphyton communities on vertically oriented glass slides were quantitatively sampled from four stations in Elk Lake, British Columbia. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were employed to assess the temporal interrelationships between 15 environmental variables, concurrently measured, and the periphyton populations, expressed as total cell counts and species diversity, for the complete data set of each station. At all stations there was a statistically significant increase in total cell populations with increasing length of slide exposure; positive correlations also occurred with pH, temperature, nitrite, nitrate and copper, while negative ones occurred with oxygen, orthophosphate and hardness (magnesium and total). At all but one station there was a significant decrease in species diversity with increasing slide exposure duration, a decrease attributed to the simultaneous increase in standing crop resulting in intensified competition for diminishing substrate area suitable for cell colonization. Multiple stepwise regression analyses demonstrated that greater than 80% of the variation in periphyton total cells at all four stations could be reliably predicted or described in terms of length of slide exposure, phosphate (ortho and total), and hardness (calcium and total). On the other hand, exposure duration and total cell populations were the most important variables associated with changes in species diversity at three of the four stations. In general, correlations and regressions between standing crop and environmental variables were more statistically reliable and consistent between stations than comparable analyses with species diversity. Use of multiple regression and correlation disclosed the importance of small, non statistically significant variation in ecologically relevant variables and permitted objective comparison of stations.