Response of epilithic diatom assemblages to urbanization influences

Abstract

Urbanization has long been recognized to alter the hydrology, water quality and channel form of waterways. Recently, consideration of urban impacts on waterways has expanded to include assessment of the aquatic biota, generally focusing upon the macroinvertebrate fauna. This study compares the impacts of urbanization on the structure of stream benthic diatom communities in 16 first- and second-order streams in the east of Melbourne, Australia. Relationships between the physical elements of urbanization, water quality and diatom communities were examined using multivariate analyses with compositional similarity, and univariate analyses with selected diatom species and indices,. There was a st..