Investigating freshwater periphyton community response to uranium with phospholipid fatty acid and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analyses

Abstract Periphyton communities can be used as monitors of ecosystem health and as indicators of contamination in lotic systems. Measures of biomass, community structure, and genetic diversity were used to investigate impacts of uranium (U) exposure on periphyton. Laboratory exposures of periphyton in river water amended with 238 U were performed for 5 days, followed by 2 days of U depuration in unamended river water. Productivity as measured by biomass was not affected by concentrations up to 100 μg  238 U L −1 . Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) banding patterns revealed no changes in community or genetic structure related to U exposure. We suggest that the periphyton community as a whole was not significantly impacted by exposures of 238 U up to a concentration of 100 μg L −1 . These findings have significance for the assessment and prediction of U impacts on aquatic ecosystems.