Sessile organisms, such as algae and small crustaceans, that live attached to surfaces projecting from the bottom of a freshwater aquatic environment.
a broad organismal assemblage composed of attached algae, bacteria, their secretions, associated detritus, and various species of microinvertebrates
algae living on rocks or sediments at the bottom of a river or lake
An assemblage of small plant organisms (mostly algae) attached to surfaces underwater or floating; may form a spongy mat insulating the ground from total dehydration during the dry season in the Everglades.
Microscopic plants and animals that are firmly attached to solid surfaces under water such as rocks, logs, pilings and other structures.
Microscopic underwater plants and animals that are firmly attached to solid surfaces such as rocks, logs, and pilings.
Organisms that grow on underwater surfaces; periphyton include algae, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and other organisms.
Algae growing attached to something. The following communities of periphyton can be differentiated: epipelic algae grow on fine sediments, epilithic algae grog: on rocks, epiphytic algae grow on macrophytes, epizooic algae grow on animals, and episammic algae grow on or between grains of sand. [Gk. peri, around + phyto, plant.
(Périphyton) Sessile biotal components of a freshwater ecosystem. These aquatic organisms can be attached to solid underwater surfaces such as plants, rocks, logs and other structures.(Adapted from D. N. Lapedes (Ed.), McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, Second Edition, 1978.)
Macroscopic (visible without a microscope) and microscopic (visible only with a microscope) algae (single- and multi-celled plants) that grow on or attach to rocks, logs, and aquatic plants. Periphyton, phytoplankton, and aquatic plants are the primary producers that convert nutrients into plant material by the process of photosynthesis.
Very small plants that live attached to a surface in freshwater but do not move around.
Dense strands of algal growth that cover the water surface between the emergant aquatic plants. Spirogyra is commonly responsible for this growth.
Periphyton is a complex matrix of algae, cyanobacteria, heterotrophic microbes, and detritus that is attached to submerged surfaces in most aquatic ecosystems. It serves as an important food source for invertebrates, tadpoles, and some fish. It can also absorb contaminants; removing them from the watercolumn and limiting their movement through the environment.