Kauaʻi Conservation Atlas

Kauaʻi record · KCA-EP-0004

Freshwater periphyton primary production

Open this record in the interactive Atlas
Natural-history illustration of freshwater periphyton primary production on Kauaʻi.
Atlas illustration of freshwater periphyton primary production.

About Freshwater periphyton primary production

Photosynthesis by attached algae and microbial films on stream substrates.

Names and classification

Other names
freshwater periphyton primary production
Family
Energy Capture & Primary Production
Record type
ecological_process

Habitat and ecology

Ecological role
Supports Atlas reasoning about ecosystem function, dependencies, threats, conservation leverage points and cross-module consequences.

Process and seasonal context

Definition
Photosynthesis by attached algae and microbial films on stream substrates.
Drivers
light; water; nutrients; temperature; plant/algal biomass
Inputs
solar energy; CO₂; water; nutrients
Outputs
organic biomass; O₂; food-web energy
Spatial scales
site → ecosystem → island
Temporal scales
hourly → seasonal → interannual
Validity and limits
Context-specific; do not extrapolate across habitat, season, elevation, salinity or disturbance state without evidence.

Sources and further reading

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