Seasonal biostabilization and erosion behavior of fluvial biofilms under different hydrodynamic and light conditions

Thom, Moritz; Schmidt, Holger; Gerbersdorf, Sabine Ulrike; Wieprecht, Silke

doi:10.1016/j.ijsrc.2015.03.015

Cited by 32 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…These studies generally show a positive correlation between EPS content and sediment stability measured as the threshold for erosion, although variations in space and time (Friend et al, 2003b;Thom et al, 2015) and between cohesive and noncohesive sandy environments are large. There are, however, also examples of buoyant biofilms, which reduce the threshold for erosion of sediments Tolhurst et al, 2008).…”

Section: W I Van De Lageweg Et Al: Quantifying Biostabilisation Efmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Many studies have attempted to quantify biostabilisation in a variety of environments (Paterson, 1989;Dade et al, 1990;Amos et al, 1998;Tolhurst et al, 1999Tolhurst et al, , 2003Friend et al, 2003a;Droppo et al, 2007;Righetti and Lucarelli, 2007;Vignaga et al, 2012;Graba et al, 2013;Thom et al, 2015). These studies generally show a positive correlation between EPS content and sediment stability measured as the threshold for erosion, although variations in space and time (Friend et al, 2003b;Thom et al, 2015) and between cohesive and noncohesive sandy environments are large.…”

Section: W I Van De Lageweg Et Al: Quantifying Biostabilisation Efmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantifying biostabilisation effects of biofilm-secreted and extracted extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) on sandy substrate

2018

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Abstract. Microbial assemblages ("biofilms") preferentially develop at water-sediment interfaces and are known to have a considerable influence on sediment stability and erodibility. There is potential for significant impacts on sediment transport and morphodynamics, and hence on the longer-term evolution of coastal and fluvial environments. However, the biostabilisation effects remain poorly understood and quantified due to the inherent complexity of biofilms and the large spatial and temporal (i.e. seasonality) variations involved. Here, we use controlled laboratory tests to systematically quantify the effects of natural biofilm colonisation as well as extracted extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) on sediment stability. Extracted EPSs may be useful to simulate biofilm-mediated biostabilisation and potentially provide a method of speeding up timescales of physical modelling experiments investigating biostabilisation effects. We find a mean biostabilisation effect due to natural biofilm colonisation and development of almost 4 times that of the uncolonised sand. The presented cumulative probability distribution of measured critical threshold for erosion of colonised sand reflects the large spatial and temporal variations generally seen in natural biostabilised environments. For identical sand, engineered sediment stability from the addition of extracted EPSs compares well across the measured range of the critical threshold for erosion and behaves in a linear and predictable fashion. Yet, the effectiveness of extracted EPSs to stabilise sediment is sensitive to the preparation procedure, time after application and environmental conditions such as salinity, pH and temperature. These findings are expected to improve biophysical experimental models in fluvial and coastal environments and provide much-needed quantification of biostabilisation to improve predictions of sediment dynamics in aquatic ecosystems.

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Section: W I Van De Lageweg Et Al: Quantifying Biostabilisation Efmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: W I Van De Lageweg Et Al: Quantifying Biostabilisation Efmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying biostabilisation effects of biofilm-secreted and extracted extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) on sandy substrate

2018

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“…Apart from the majority of past studies being performed in the intertidal areas, there is now also evidence of the importance of biostabilisation in fluvial systems (e.g. Schmidt et al 2015Schmidt et al , 2016Thom et al 2015). Beyond the microbial impact on surface stability, the lateral movement of sediment can be severely influenced during bedform development and migration (Friend et al 2008;Hagadorn and McDowell 2012;Malarkey et al 2015;Parsons et al 2016) but this phenomenon is also highly significant for the erosion thresholds of deeper sediment layers (Gerbersdorf et al 2007;Chen et al 2017).…”

Section: Is Sediment Biostabilisation Important?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Aanensen et al 2016). Furthermore, in ecological research, biofilms are rarely investigated at their fully matured stage, for instance, in the above-mentioned flumes of Schmidt et al (2015) and Thom et al (2015). In addition, the biofilm is usually restricted to microorganisms.…”

Section: The Meaning Of Spatial and Temporal Scalingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Laboratory studies can and have been used effectively to analyse the impacts of stressors (e.g. Hicks et al 2011;Thom et al 2015); however, they do this in isolation from natural habitats and communities. It is difficult for researchers to take full account of the complete environmental and biological context (Hewitt et al 2007); thus, the role these attributes play in mediating stressor impacts is not fully understood (Bishop and Kelaher 2013).…”

Section: Field Experimentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Form, function and physics: the ecology of biogenic stabilisation

et al. 2018

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Purpose The objective of this work is to better understand the role that biological mediation plays in the behaviour of fine sediments. This research is supported by developments in ecological theory recognising organisms as Becosystem engineers^and associated discussion of Bniche construction^, suggesting an evolutionary role for habitat modification by biological action. In addition, there is acknowledgement from engineering disciplines that something is missing from fine sediment transport predictions. Materials and methods Advances in technology continue to improve our ability to examine the small-scale 2D processes with large-scale effects in natural environments. Advanced molecular tools can be combined with state-of-the-art field and laboratory techniques to allow the discrimination of microbial biodiversity and the examination of their metabolic contribution to ecosystem function. This in turn can be related to highly resolved measurements and visualisation of flow dynamics. Results and discussion Recent laboratory and field work have led to a paradigm shift whereby hydraulic research has to embrace biology and biogeochemistry to unravel the highly complex issues around on fine sediment dynamics. Examples are provided illustrating traditional and more recent approaches including using multiple stressors in fully factorial designs in both the laboratory and the field to highlight the complexity of the interaction between biology and sediment dynamics in time and space. The next phase is likely to rely on advances in molecular analysis, metagenomics and metabolomics, to assess the functional role of microbial assemblages in sediment behaviour, including the nature and rate of polymer production by bacteria, the mechanism of their influence on sediment behaviour. Conclusions To fully understand how aquatic habitats will adjust to environmental change and to support the provision of various ecosystem services, we require a holistic approach. We must consider all aspects that control the distribution of sediment and the erosion-transport-deposition-consolidation cycle including biological and chemical processes, not just the physical. In particular, the role of microbial assemblages is now recognised as a significant factor deserving greater attention across disciplines.

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Ecosystem engineering by periphyton in Alpine proglacial streams

Roncoroni,

Ballu,

Selitaj

et al. 2023

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Stream periphytons are candidate ecosystem engineers in proglacial margins. Here, we quantify the extent to which they are engineers for the case of hillslope‐fed tributaries in the terrace zones of proglacial margin alluvial plains. Candidate ecosystem engineering effects relate to periphyton‐driven changes in (1) vertical infiltration of water, which in turn could aid plant colonization and hence local surface stabilization, and (2) near‐bed hydraulics, notably near‐bed turbulence properties. We ran two flume experiments in parallel in the proglacial margin of the Otemma glacier (Switzerland), reproducing the environmental conditions found in terrace streams. In both experiments, we followed periphyton development on initially bare sediments for 28 days. Then, whilst the experiment continued undisturbed in one flume, in the second and over a further 26 days, we introduced disturbances in the form of desiccation events. Throughout the entire experiment length, we collected imagery for close‐range SfM‐MVS photogrammetry, data on vertical infiltration, and near‐bed hydraulics. The experiments showed that periphyton development significantly changed the streambed properties. First, periphyton development over the timescale of a few days reduced bed roughness and clogged the benthic interstitial space, reducing water infiltration. These effects were insensitive to the disturbance regime. Second, the changes in streambed roughness modified the near‐bed turbulent structures, and this resulted in a reduction of bursting events and in the modification of the turbulent kinetic energy at the near‐bed layer. The latter, however, appeared to be less important in these environments as compared with the impacts on infiltration. Given the low water retaining capacity of glacial sediments, the observation that periphyton can reduce vertical infiltration explains wider observations of their importance in glacial floodplains where vegetation succession is critically constrained by water availability. The relatively reduced impacts on near‐bed turbulence also contribute to explaining why disturbance in proglacial margin streams remains a key limit on ecological succession.

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Seasonal biostabilization and erosion behavior of fluvial biofilms under different hydrodynamic and light conditions

Cited by 32 publications

References 37 publications

Quantifying biostabilisation effects of biofilm-secreted and extracted extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) on sandy substrate

Quantifying biostabilisation effects of biofilm-secreted and extracted extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) on sandy substrate

Form, function and physics: the ecology of biogenic stabilisation

Ecosystem engineering by periphyton in Alpine proglacial streams

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