Phytoplankton of the Susquehanna River Near Binghamton, New York: Seasonal Variations; Effect of Sewage Effluents1,2

SUMMARY Net phytoplankton samples were collected weekly for 13 months at points above and below sewage effluents. Sixty‐three genera and 130 taxa were identified: diatoms, 19 genera, 44 taxa; greens, 31 genera, 67 taxa; blue‐greens, 6 genera, 8 taxa. Downstream from the sewage effluents the number of taxa was unchanged but the number of organisms was definitely increased. This increase was most pronounced for green and blue‐green algae, and least for diatoms. The seasonal distribution of algae was that usually seen in waters of the North Temperate Zone. The particular taxa and number of taxa found were those of productive waters but not typical of heavily polluted waters.