Benthic biofilm structure controls the deposition-resuspension dynamics of fine clay particles

Abstract:

In fluvial ecosystems the alternation of deposition and resuspension of particles represents an important pathway for the downstream translocation of microbes and organic matter. Such particles can originate from algae and microbes, the spontaneous auto-aggregation of organic macromolecules (e.g., “river sown”), terrestrial detritus (traditionally classified as “particulate organic matter”), and erosive mineral and organo-mineral particles. The transport and retention of particles in headwater streams is associated with biofilms, which are surface-attached microbial communities. Whilst biofilm-particle interactions have been studied in bulk, a mechanistic understanding of these processes is lacking. Parallel macroscale/microscale observations are required to unravel the complex feedbacks between biofilm structure, coverage and the dynamics of deposition and resuspension.

We used recirculating flume mesocosms to test how changes in biofilm structure affected the deposition and resuspension of clay-sized (< 10 μm) particles. Biofilms were grown in replicate 3-m-long recirculating flumes over variable lengths of time (0, 14, 21, 28, and 35) days. Fixed doses of fluorescent clay-sized particles were introduced to each flume and their deposition was traced over 30 minutes. A flood event was then simulated via a step increase in flowrate to quantify particle resuspension. 3D Optical Coherence Tomography was used to determine roughness, areal coverage and height of biofilms in each flume. From these measurements we characterised particle deposition and resuspension rates, using continuous time random walk modelling techniques, which we then tested as responses to changes in biofilm coverage and structure under both base-flow and flood-flow scenarios. Our results suggest that biofilm structural complexity is a primary control upon the retention and downstream transport of fine particles in stream mesocosms.