Spatial variability of epiphyton communities structure in a temperate estuarine lagoon

The midsummer epiphyton community structure on common reed stems was investigated in different zones of the Curonian Lagoon (south-eastern Baltic). Epiphyton was characterized by dominance of diatoms and cyanobacteria. The shading effects of phytoplankton or reed belts density and phosphorus concentrations mainly contributed to differences in epiphyton amount and species taxonomic composition. Epiphyton algae and cyanobacteria abundance increased toward river run-off. The highest biomass and dominance of diatoms were observed in the zones with higher phosphorus concentrations.