Periphyton production and grazing by chironomids in Alderfen Broad, Norfolk

Summary The standing crops of periphyton were measured on dead Typha stems and glass rods in a small, eutrophic lake from February to November. Chironomid larvae were also counted on the Typha stems; very few were present on the glass rods. The standing crop of periphyton on the Typha stems fell from 1.8 mg cm−2 in early April to nearly zero in November. On the glass rods the periphyton reached a peak of 1.93 mg cm−2 in late May and 1.94 mg cm−2 in July, thereafter falling to a steady level of 1.6 mg cm−2. The population of chironomids showed a peak in late May and then declined. The alimentary canals of chironomids collected fromTyphastems contained diatoms and filamentous algae so it appeared that chironomids were grazing down the periphyton. Chironomids moved on to theTyphastems in spring and returned to the mud in autumn. The periphyton is a richer source of essential amino acids than the mud, so that a movement from mud to reedstems in spring may increase the rates of growth and metamorphosis of the larvae. A crude production estimate gave a net primary production of periphyton of 170 mg dry wt m−2 day−1; the periphyton, however, would have contained bacteria and many small animals as well as algae.