The ecology of the phytoplankton of a new reservoir in the Thames Valley

Abstract

A three-year investigation of the phytoplankton and associated physical and chemical environmental factors of the River Thames and the Queen Elizabeth II reservoir is described. In addition to routine analyses and records, the methods to be employed were critically surveyed and some were modified before regular use. A new method of particle counting and sizing involving the use of a Coulter Counter is described and the results compared in detail with those results obtained by other means. The influence of artificially imposed turbulence - a unique condition restricted to this reservoir - on the thermal conditions and on the phytoplankton is considered. The importance of the quality and the quantity of the River Thames inflow is discussed. Culture experiments are described which indicate that SiO might at times be a limiting nutrient for the growth of diatoms in the River Thames and the reservoir. Culture experiments also indicate perennation, especially by certain diatoms, in the reservoir sediment.