Stream Periphyton Community Responses to Nutrient Amendments using 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequencing

Nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) pollution is a pervasive water quality issue in the US, including for small streams and rivers. To date, the biotic condition of streams with respect to nutrients has been evaluated using biological indicators such as macroinvertebrate assemblages or periphyton communities. Periphyton microbial communities are incredibly diverse and a wealth of information on how they respond to nutrients likely resides outside the microscopic examination of a single group. The goals of this study were to determine responses of thousands of periphyton microbial taxa to experimentally elevated nutrient exposure as it pertains to biological indicators.