Effect of mixing patterns and light dose on growth of Anabaena circinalis in a turbid, lowland river

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Anabaena circinalis</jats:italic> is common in the lower Murray River, Australia, and may compromise water quality due to the release of toxins. The water is turbid and thermal structure may significantly affect light availability. An <jats:italic>in situ</jats:italic> experiment was designed to represent complete mixing, diurnal stratification and persistent stratification and test the effect on growth of <jats:italic>A. circinalis</jats:italic>. To represent the mixing treatments, cells were incubated in diffusion chambers that were adjusted to different positions in the water‐column throughout the day. Populations exposed to persistent stratification over six days grew significantly faster than the other treatments at a rate of 0.65 day<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>. However, growth of the diurnally stratified populations was slower than (0.28 day<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>), or similar to (0.40 day<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>) the mixed population (0.40 day<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>). Therefore, the growth of the subpopulations exposed to the euphotic zone was insufficient to counteract the slow growth of the majority that were confined to darkness during the stratified period. A relationship between growth rate (<jats:italic>G</jats:italic>) and average daily light dose (<jats:italic>I</jats:italic>) was constructed and growth rate at optimal light dose (<jats:italic>G</jats:italic><jats:sub>max</jats:sub>), slope of linear section of <jats:italic>G</jats:italic>–<jats:italic>I</jats:italic> curve (α), and light dose where lines of <jats:italic>G</jats:italic><jats:sub>max</jats:sub> and light‐limited portion of <jats:italic>G</jats:italic>–<jats:italic>I</jats:italic> curve intersect (<jats:italic>I</jats:italic><jats:sub>k</jats:sub>) were solved as 0.66 day<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>, 0.12 day<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> (mol<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> m<jats:sup>−2</jats:sup> day<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>)<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> and 5.4 mol m<jats:sup>−2</jats:sup> day<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>, respectively. Using these parameters, a model was developed to predict possible differences in growth between diurnal and mixed populations under varying conditions of vertical light attenuation, mixed depth and incubation time. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.</jats:p>