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............................................... Events Andrew Dopheide has won the Honorable Mention for his poster "Stream Micro-ecology: Life in a Biofilm" at the International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge. ISME conference: ............................................... What's new? The Newsletter 2008 is arrived ISME posters are now available The results of our survey about stream restoration are available online ...............................................
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What's a stream biofilm... A stream biofilm is the layer of greenish-brown slime that is found on rocks, plants and other surfaces in a stream. This layer is composed of microscopic bacteria, algae, and protozoans in a complex polymer linked assemblage.
Stream biofilms play key roles in primary production, cycling of nutrients, water quality, suspended solid removal and energy flow to higher trophic levels. So they constitute a major component of the stream ecosystem and must be better understood to facilitate successful stream restoration or rehabilitation. About the Stream Biofilm Project... The Stream Biofilm Project is carried out by a team of researchers based at the University of Auckland (New Zealand). The role of biofilms in stream ecology has received little attention at the microbial level and the dynamics of the biofilm populations and interactions with larger organisms is only patchily described although it has become clear recently that stream biofilms form a critical component in stream food web. That's why we have over recent years, developed techniques for studying the diversity and function of the bacteria in these biofilms and we have extended our work into investigating the relationship between biofilms and stream food webs. The project aim to improve knowledge about stream ecosystemsand supporting stream restoration. |
Newsletter ............................................... Contact us Stream Biofilm Research group ............................................... ............................................... ............................................... |
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........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Stream Biofilm Project, The University of Auckland, 2008 |
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